West Midlands Police has released dramatic CCTV footage of a high speed crash, in which a woman lost her life, to show the dangers of speeding.
Saqib Hussain was sentenced to six years in prison yesterday (15 September) for causing Noreen Ryan’s death after the Audi R8 Spyder he was driving at 76mph crashed into the car Ms Ryan was travelling in, while in a thirty zone.
The 25-year-old was speeding along Shaftmoor Lane in Acocks Green at around 11.30pm on 26 August when he ploughed into the Ford Fiesta, in which Ms Ryan was the front seat passenger, as it pulled out of Reddings Lane.
“Sadly, the impact on the Fiesta was so great that Ms Ryan received multiple injuries and despite the best efforts of the emergency services, she was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital,” said PC Chris Ridge from West Midland Police’s Collision Investigation Unit.
“Ms Ryan’s sister Mary was the driver of the Fiesta and was trapped in her seat, suffering from serious injuries to her back and pelvis.
“When we arrived at the scene, the Audi was still there but nobody was with it. Witnesses recalled seeing two men leave the car and get inside a Mercedes, which arrived shortly after the crash, before driving off.
“Clearly this was a serious collision and we were also concerned about the welfare of the occupants of the Audi, so we made local hospitals aware of what had happened.
“Less than half an hour after the crash, we got a call from Solihull Hospital. Hussain had gone there to drop off his passenger in the Audi, who had suffered a nasty facial injury in the collision. We immediately went to the hospital however, Hussain had already left and his friend maintained he had received his injuries in an assault.”
At around 3am the next day, Hussain finally handed himself in at Stechford Police Station and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
He was later charged with the offence and also two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, causing death by driving a vehicle while uninsured and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.
Hussain of Alexander Road, Acocks Green, pleaded guilty to all the offences and was handed a six year prison sentence at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday.
PC Ridge said: “This is a tragic case that highlights the dangers of driving at excess speed. In a moment of madness, Hussain’s actions led to the death of Noreen Ryan and changed the lives of her family forever.
“He chose to drive a high performance vehicle – which he was not insured to drive and had never driven before – at a grossly inappropriate speed on residential roads. Not only has he devastated the Ryan family who are still struggling to come to terms with their loss, but he has also ruined his own life and that of his immediate family.
“I would urge anyone who is tempted to put their foot down to consider the consequences before doing so. Could you live with yourself if you killed someone and would your loved ones cope if you were sent to prison? It simply isn’t worth the risk.”
In a victim personal statement read out at court, Noreen’s other sister Margaret told how Noreen’s death had affected their family: “We have lost a beautiful daughter, sister, aunty, stepmother and grandma.
“Noreen loved and supported Birmingham City − at which she was a season ticket holder − and always went with our brother John, who has now lost his best friend and sister, and has to go to matches on his own.
“My mother, who is 91 years of age has lost her beautiful daughter who she brought into this world with love and joy and was taken in such a horrendous way. We have seen our mother go through such grief when she should be enjoying her later years.
“My sister Mary was driving that night after being at my brother’s house at a family gathering for our niece’s 16th birthday. They had a lovely evening and they were on their way home talking about the future and their plans, which now lie in tatters and heartbreak.
“At a time when we should have been celebrating Noreen’s 50th birthday, we were instead picking out her headstone. It is almost too much for the heart and soul to bear. She touched a lot of people’s lives and we are totally devastated, grief stricken and sad to know Noreen will no longer be in this world.”
To find out more about the work of our Collision Investigation Unit and how traffic officers aim to keep people safe on our roads, read our WMP Traffic blog.
