kidnap and hit and run result
Discussion
Driver ban after hit and run
Martin Wainwright
Wednesday February 16, 2005
The Guardian
A taxi driver who ran over and killed a kidnap victim as she fell, jumped or was pushed from a speeding car was banned from driving yesterday and ordered to do 200 hours of community service.
Mohammed Ashiq, 53, had denied failing to stop after hitting Stephanie Hammill, a 20-year-old travel agent who had been out clubbing in Wakefield, Yorkshire, with her fiance.
Dewsbury magistrates heard that Ms Hammill got into a black Mercedes after flagging it down, thinking that it was a taxi.
It sped off with its door open, leaving her fiance James Garland, 22, on the pavement.
He flagged down a police van and Ms Hammill's body was found minutes later. She had tumbled from the car and then been hit immediately by Mr Ashiq's taxi.
The chair of the bench, Joan Obbard, said Ashiq had no connection with the kidnap but must have known that he had hit someone.
Martin Wainwright
Wednesday February 16, 2005
The Guardian
A taxi driver who ran over and killed a kidnap victim as she fell, jumped or was pushed from a speeding car was banned from driving yesterday and ordered to do 200 hours of community service.
Mohammed Ashiq, 53, had denied failing to stop after hitting Stephanie Hammill, a 20-year-old travel agent who had been out clubbing in Wakefield, Yorkshire, with her fiance.
Dewsbury magistrates heard that Ms Hammill got into a black Mercedes after flagging it down, thinking that it was a taxi.
It sped off with its door open, leaving her fiance James Garland, 22, on the pavement.
He flagged down a police van and Ms Hammill's body was found minutes later. She had tumbled from the car and then been hit immediately by Mr Ashiq's taxi.
The chair of the bench, Joan Obbard, said Ashiq had no connection with the kidnap but must have known that he had hit someone.
A disgrace.
How can you run someone over, and not realise? If you are that unaware of what is going on around you, how can you be at all safe?
I hit a sparrow (being no ornithologist I would probably better describe it as a small brown bird) a couple of years ago, while making decent progress along a country lane. It went into the grille of the car, and made a hell of a bang. I stopped in a great rush, worried that I had hit something large (I couldn't believe that such a small thing made such a big noise.)
And you are telling me that this w
ker can drive over a 20 year old and not notice?
AND get away with it?
Oli.
>> Edited by zcacogp on Monday 21st February 12:24
How can you run someone over, and not realise? If you are that unaware of what is going on around you, how can you be at all safe?
I hit a sparrow (being no ornithologist I would probably better describe it as a small brown bird) a couple of years ago, while making decent progress along a country lane. It went into the grille of the car, and made a hell of a bang. I stopped in a great rush, worried that I had hit something large (I couldn't believe that such a small thing made such a big noise.)
And you are telling me that this w
ker can drive over a 20 year old and not notice? AND get away with it?
Oli.
>> Edited by zcacogp on Monday 21st February 12:24
nicecupoftea said:
Sickening.
Should be manslaughter at the least.
The police said that the Taxi driver had no chance of avoiding Stephanie as She came straight into the path of his car. Now if they catch the actual kidnapper I'll agree.
>> Edited by telecat on Monday 21st February 13:26
telecat said:
Sickening.
Should be manslaughter at the least.
The police said that the Taxi driver had no chance of avoiding Stephanie as She came straight into the path of his car. Now if they catch the actual kidnapper I'll agree.
Can't help but think that leaving her bleeding and critically injured in the road, all alone, did anything for her condition though, did it?
telecat said:
The police said that the Taxi driver had no chance of avoiding Stephanie as She came straight into the path of his car. Now if they catch the actual kidnapper I'll agree.
My problem concerns the fact that he can run someone over, and not notice it.
I'll grant you that the incident was not at all of his making, but that someone can be so far removed from the happenings around his car (or, as I would suspect, care so little), and that he gets a very light slap across the knuckles, incenses me.
Oli.
Of course he noticed, he was worried about getting pinched for it. If this happened to me I would of course stop, but i'd be petrified that I would be prosecuted, despite knowing I could do nothing to avoid her - the motorist usually seems to be found to blame, even when there was nothing they could do.
A tragic loss of life nonetheless.
A tragic loss of life nonetheless.
Mad Dave said:
the motorist usually seems to be found to blame, even when there was nothing they could do.
Not the case, if it's not true...i'm glad to report..
In the last couple of months I've dealt with 3 serious RTC, car v pedestrian...one where the pedestrian was thought wouldn't survive (but did)..
In all cases I managed to prove that the fault lied entirely with the pedestrians and that the driver was blameless. Not just opinion and witness opinion, but backed up by forensic examinations of the scene...
Streetcop said:
the motorist usually seems to be found to blame, even when there was nothing they could do.
In the last couple of months I've dealt with 3 serious RTC, car v pedestrian...one where the pedestrian was thought wouldn't survive (but did)..
In all cases I managed to prove that the fault lied entirely with the pedestrians and that the driver was blameless. Not just opinion and witness opinion, but backed up by forensic examinations of the scene...
I thought that there were moves afoot to make any car -v- pedestrian RTC entirely the fault of the car, no questions asked? (Mind you, thinking about it, I can't remember where I hread this.)
Mr Streetcop, in the cases you mentioned, what happened as far as the damage to the cars goes? If the drivers were blameless, who pays for their damage? Or do they have some painful, drawn-out court case to get cash out of the pedestrians?
Oli.
I have had something hit my car with a loud bang, stopped checked the car and surrounding area and found nothing, I've had a slight noise that only just about attracts my attention and found damage to bodywork. And we all seen the deer in the Rovers grill. He SHOULD have got out and checked IF he heard it, and HE should have immediatley owned up once he realised he had been there. The sentence was for not reporting only, and probably was enhanced because it delayed the Police investigation into the kidnap vehicle. That ended up in Cyprus. Where the driver is has still to be ascertained.
>> Edited by telecat on Tuesday 22 February 18:23
>> Edited by telecat on Tuesday 22 February 18:23
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