Bradford mini-cab driver jailed (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bradford mini-cab driver jailed

5:53pm Thursday 16th July 2009 in

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A minicab driver was jailed today for killing an 80-year-old great grandfather in a horror smash.

Zahoor Hussain, 24, of St Leonard’s Road, Girlington, had been “showing off” to a friend he had just picked up in a black Vauxhall Astra hire car when he hit a vehicle being driven by former RAF mechanic Harvey Kirk on March 30 last year.

Hussain had been going far too fast seconds before smashing into the elderly couple’s Ford Fiesta as it pulled out of Bell Dean Road into Thornton Road, a jury at Bradford Crown Court was told. Mr Kirk, who had been driving home after paying a visit to relatives, died at the scene from multiple injuries.

His wife of 53 years, Betty Kirk, was left with serious injuries including a brain haemorrhage, broken bones and teeth and bruises to her body.

Yesterday Judge Jona-than Rose jailed Hussain after the jury found him guilty of causing Mr Kirk’s death by dangerous driving.

Prosecution barrister Judith Naylor said Mrs Kirk was still having physiotherapy, was on a daily dose of sleeping tablets and had to have teeth replaced.

Ian Howard, Hussain’s barrister, admitted that Hussain had been driving over the 30mph limit but said even if he had stuck to the limit the accident still may have happened.

The judge jailed Hussain for four years and disqualified him from driving for four years.

He said: “The fact that you carried out an act of speeding moment after picking up this passenger indicated to me that you were showing off to this man by driving with a reckless disregard for the speed limit.”

In statement Mr Kirk’s family thanked the Crown Prosecution Service, their police family liaison officer and officers PC Mick Garner and Phil Clapham.

A family spokesman said: “This is the outcome that we would have hoped for but we have still lost someone very special.”