A van driver who killed a university student and seriously injured two other people in a crash near The Strand in central London has been jailed for eight years. Christopher Jackson, 27, of Southampton, pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The incident occurred on 18 March 2025 when Jackson, driving a van, collided with iron gates outside Bush House in Aldwych, forcing them open. The gates struck a 28-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man, causing severe and life-changing injuries. Jackson then continued forward, mounting a flower bed and becoming briefly airborne before hitting Aalia Mahomed, a 20-year-old King's College London student, who was sitting on a bench. She died at the scene.
Aalia Mahomed was in her second year of a physics and philosophy degree. Her mother, Samira Shafi, described her in court as 'the most amazing daughter'. Two other people, Irem Yoldas and Yamin Belmessous, were also injured in the incident.
Judge Philip Katz KC sentenced Jackson to eight years for causing death by dangerous driving, with concurrent three-year sentences for the two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Jackson will serve two-thirds of his sentence before being released on licence and was disqualified from driving for five years, extended for the period of custody, with a compulsory retest required.
Detective Chief Superintendent Donna Smith of the Metropolitan Police said: 'It is almost a year to the day since this terrible incident took place. It should never have happened, and Aalia should still be with us today.' Roy Pershad of the Crown Prosecution Service added: 'Every person who gets behind the wheel has a responsibility to drive safely... the consequences when that driving falls short can be devastating.'
