A five-year-old boy was killed after a driver ignored a no-entry sign, leaving his heartbroken mum haunted by the image of him “lying on the floor on his own”. Abdullah Ebrahim's mother said she misses her son "every day" and has had to relive the trauma of his death in court, reports Leeds Live.
The youngster tragically died in hospital on July 7, 2022, after a Nissan Note, driven by Colin Agyei, struck him as he crossed the narrow road on Back Camberley Street, Leeds.
Driver ignored no-entry sign
The court heard Agyei, 32, of Pear Tree Grove, Knottingley, drove past the no entry sign and hit Abdullah as he ran across the street. The road was not supposed to be used for cars.
Agyei was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving after jurors took just 40 minutes to decide the verdict. At Leeds Crown Court on Thursday, September 24, he was jailed for six years.
Mother's heartbreaking statement
In a heartbreaking victim personal statement, Abdullah's mum said: “What I cannot understand, and what I will never forget, is that he failed to stop and left my child there. I will never forget the image of Abdullah lying on the floor on his own. That image has stayed with me for four years. It is something I carry every single day.”
She went on: “I attended the trial and had to sit and listen to the defendant say that he did not see my son. I heard his account change several times, and I felt that he was not telling the truth about what happened. The jury took only around 40 minutes to find him guilty on all counts.
“For me and my family, however, the pain did not end with that verdict. We have waited four years for justice. During that time, I have had to go through this awful ordeal again and again. Having to attend court, hear the evidence and relive the circumstances of Abdullah’s death has caused me enormous emotional suffering. Four years have passed, but my grief has not passed. I still miss my son. I still think about him every day.”
Police statement on sentencing
Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Steve Suggitt, of West Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Enquiry Team, said: “This was a truly tragic incident that resulted in the death of a young boy and robbed a family of a lifetime of shared memories.
“This collision was completely avoidable had Agyei complied with the no entry sign and not driven into Back Camberley Street. Young Abdullah would not have been expecting a vehicle to be driving up the road and did not have time to react.
“While we estimate that Agyei was driving at a relatively low speed of around 15mph, during our investigation we thoroughly tested the back street and found that because of the nature of the road you cannot drive safely on it at speeds of over 7mph.
“Agyei admitted a lesser careless driving offence but was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. While he has been given a custodial sentence, I know that no sentence can ever in any way equate to the lifetime of grief that Abdullah’s family face.”
