A judge has ruled that a speeding driver who hit a jogger in south-west London will be jailed for five years if he ever returns to the UK.
Rashid Ali, 30, from Slough, was driving twice the speed limit of 20 mph (32 km/h) when he hit 29-year-old Jack Patrick Ryan near Battersea Bridge in west London in his Range Rover Sport on January 13, 2021.
In August, Ali convicted in absentia for causing death by dangerous driving after failing to appear at his trial.
During a hearing at the Old Bailey, the court was told he is currently in Pakistan but plans to return to the UK.
Defence lawyer James Scobie KC earlier read out an email in which the defendant expressed his “great stress” and “anxiety” and apologised to “anyone he had let down”.
“I am deeply ashamed and have destroyed my own character,” Ali wrote. “I have vowed to return to Britain to serve any prison sentence I may face.”
Judge Judy Khan sentenced Khan to five years in prison and a five-and-a-half-year driving ban. She said she had received a letter from the defendant saying he intended to return to serve his sentence.
“I cannot accept that assurance,” said Ms Khan.
Ali ‘had time to stop’
CCTV footage of the collision showed marketing director Ryan being hit and thrown through the air before landing on the front of the Range Rover on Battersea Bridge.
When Ali’s vehicle was about 50 metres from the traffic lights, the light changed from green to amber, giving him sufficient time to stop, the jury was told.
The defendant claimed Mr Ryan had driven across the road in front of his car, leaving him without time to brake, the court heard.
However, prosecutor Philip Stott said the rules of the road clearly state that a driver must stop at the stop line when a traffic light is amber.
“He had ample time to stop safely and was therefore required by road traffic regulations to do so,” Stott said.
“Instead, the defendant violated those rules and in doing so caused Mr. Ryan’s death.”
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