Learner driver who fled fatal crash scene jailed
Valerie Ayres, 65, was killed instantly when Khizer Ali, 24, collided head-on with her Vauxhall Meriva, in the crash in Worcestershire that also left her husband David, 70, with life-changing injuries.
Ali, who only had a provisional licence, "recklessly" drove a Volkswagen Golf at 59mph in a 40mph zone, before he lost control and struck the couple's car on the wrong side of Alvechurch Highway on 23 April last year, West Mercia Police said.
The defendant, of Farndon Close, Redditch, was sentenced at the town's crown court to 11 years and three months for causing death by dangerous driving.
Footage later showed the Golf being driven at 62mph in a 30mph zone, as well as being involved in a near-miss with a car coming in the opposite direction under a railway bridge.
Ali sped around a nearby roundabout twice and ignored the designated lanes before he exited on to the Alvechurch Highway at "full throttle", police said.
It was then that he "finally lost control of the car and crossed on to the wrong side of the road" and collided with the Ayres' car, the force added.
The force of the impact pushed the Meriva into another car behind it, before Ali left the scene. He was later arrested at his home by officers.
In tribute to Mrs Ayres, her husband said: "Val was the life and soul of the party, we did everything together.
"My life has been turned upside down, I can't express how much I miss Val and wish the whole thing never happened."
Her daughter Lucy added: "Mum was the glue in our family and kept us going.
"The times we spent together are now some of the most cherished memories I have.
"I cannot put into words what this man has taken away."
Ali was sentenced on Friday after admitting causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and causing death by driving a vehicle without a licence or insurance, at an earlier hearing in February.
He was also banned from driving for 12 years and six months.
Det Con Rose Hughes said: "He should never have been behind the wheel of this car as he did not hold a full driving licence.
"Ali should never be driving again. Offenders like him have no place on our roads."
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Man arrested after woman dies in three-car crash
West Mercia Police
HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
39 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Scots Do Not Hold Back While Showing Trump How They Really Feel About The President's Visit
Donald Trump has, in his usual fashion, caused an enormous stir after touching down in Scotland on Friday. The US president managed to play golf at his course on the Scottish coast on Saturday without being disturbed, but protests at his presence were erupting across the country. Trump and his son Eric played on Turnberry, the family course they've had for a decade, with US ambassador to the UK Warren Stephens. Meanwhile, more than 100 miles away, hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the US Consulate in Edinburgh, making it plain that Trump was not at all welcome. Many also lashed out at UK prime minister Keir Starmer for striking up a new trade deal with Trump in a bid to avoid US tariffs on foreign imports. Trump is set to meet with Starmer, Scotland's first minister John Swinney and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen during his five-day trip, while also making time to visit his second golf club in the region. Demonstrators rallied together ahead of his visit, with Pro-Palestine campaigners, environmental activists and pro-Ukraine groups uniting to create a loose group called the 'Stop Trump Coalition'. During Saturday's protests, some people brought bagpipes, while others wore outfits from the dystopian world of The Handmaid's Tale. One protester told broadcasters: 'We should not be opening Scotland or the UK to somebody with Trump's background. 'Trump is an abhorrent human being with no saving graces.' The left-wing, pro-independent newspaper The National also joined in with their Friday front page which featured Trump's mug shot and the headline: 'Convicted US felon to arrive in Scotland.' Amid backlash online, the newspaper then asked which part of their front page is factually inaccurate. Others got... a little more personal... Some really lent into their Scottish dialect to make sure the insults hit home.... Large crowds gathered with handwritten placards... Related... Trump Claims He 'Never Went' To Epstein's Island And Tells People To Focus On Bill Clinton Instead Joe Rogan On Trump Administration's Handling Of Epstein Files: 'Do You Think We're Babies?' Trump Doesn't Rule Out Pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Old-time Worcester copper remembers his Shambles beat
LIKE most old-time coppers of Worcester City Police in the 1950s and 60s, George Lewis knew the shape and feel of every shop doorknob on his night-time rounds. He'd give each one a twist and a tug to make sure it had been securely locked and not left open as an invitation to thieves before continuing his steady foot patrol of the dim-lit streets and alleyways. George eventually retired as a uniformed inspector but, when a young constable, his patch had been the city centre, especially the area around The Shambles. In the 1980s he gave a wonderful, nostalgia interview with my former colleague Mike Grundy about policing Worcester in the decades just after the Second World War and in particular his favourite street. "In those far off days, The Shambles was full of life and friendship," he said. "But today it is just another pedestrianised thoroughfare where the so-called march of progress has destroyed the character and soul of the place. "It was originally known as Baxter Street and provided a livelihood for numerous traders. There were no less than eight pubs - the Atlas, the Baker's Arms, the Coach and Horses, The Liverpool Vaults, the Market Tavern, the Butcher's Arms, the Market Hall Vaults and the New Inn.. "All but three pubs had disappeared by the time I came to Worcester but The Shambles still had 17 butchers' shops, many of them with their own slaughterhouses. "When the occasional animal escaped its handlers, there were shouts, screams, curses and laughter as the beast was chased along the street by flat-capped men in khaki smocks and waving long sticks. At those times The Shambles was transformed into a temporary Pamplona." George recalled the street also had eight grocers, three fishmongers, a furniture business, a china dealer, a boot and shoe shop, a confectioner, a clothes shop, a fish fryer, a florist, a tripe dresser and what was then described as Woolworth's Bazaar. There were also street barrow boys and flower sellers. He added he was "on nodding terms with all the shopkeepers and familiar with the shape and feel of every shop doorknob". In retirement, George lamented: "Today there is no Ben Embling's sweet shop with its glass jars and piles of many-coloured sticky sweets cunningly assembled behind the plate glass windows. "Gone too are the sounds of butter being deftly slapped into shape on counters of grocery shops, the distinctive smells surrounding Bill and Jack Thompson's fishmonger shops and the peculiar metallic aroma that emanated from the dark cavern of J and F Hall's, the quaint black and white ironmongers which used to stand on the corner with Church Street." To see The Shambles at its best was to visit it on Saturday nights in winter when the shop windows were ablaze with light and the butchers were auctioning their weekend joints to an ever-eager public. "Those were the days before fridges," he said, "And the butchers sold off joints at knock-down prices because they would obviously have to throw them away otherwise. "There would be laughter and shouting to the accompaniment of hissing naphtha flares and the occasional burst of song as the doors of the Butcher's Arms swung open, spilling light and merriment into the night air. "Hours later, when the shops had closed and the late-night shoppers and revellers had gone home, I would patrol the deserted street where the stillness of the night was occasionally shattered by the horrendous screams and growls of cats. "Fish heads on the marble slabs of the old Market Hall would glow in an eery phosphorescent light and rats would scuttle and squeak as they scavenged the small mounds of refuse swept from shop fronts into the gutters." Worcester, and policing, as it was.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Florida man arrested after beating up fellow golfer for playing too slow: cops
A golfer in Florida is accused of attacking a fellow player for playing too slow and now faces charges over the alleged assault. Jason Hughes was arrested Thursday and charged with aggravated battery causing bodily harm, according to Fox 35. The incident happened in June at a golf course in Kissimmee, Florida, according to the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. Hughes later told deputies that he was upset with the pace of the victim's play. The man said he and Hughes exchanged words on the course. The victim was playing with a friend in front of Hughes, who told them more than once to hurry up, according to the report. Many slower golfers will let those playing faster move ahead of them at a hole. Hughes got angry when he saw the victim talking to his friend on the green of a hole, according to the report. That is when Hughes allegedly attacked and started to punch the victim in the face. Witnesses broke up the fight and Hughes and his partner fled the scene before authorities arrived, according to the report. The victim was bleeding and bruised when police arrived. He later went to the hospital with a friend. Authorities tracked down Hughes through the credit card he used to pay for his tee time, according to Fox 35. Hughes was in court Friday and given a $2,500 bond. As part of his bail conditions, he is not allowed to play golf on a public course.
