A highly-respected doctor who caused a road smash that killed two young men has been banned from driving for nine months and fined £1,500.

Dr Mohammed Azam had not checked the road properly and did not see a motorbike driven by Tasawar Hafeez when he turned on to Little Horton Green on July 11 last year, Bradford Magistrates Court heard yesterday.

The bike crashed into the side of Azam's black Mercedes, killing Mr Hafeez, 22, and his pillion passenger Mazhar Iqbal, 28. Both died at the scene.

Azam, 50, admitted careless driving.

The sentence was criticised by relatives of the two men.

After the hearing Asif Haf-eez, 25, elder brother of Tasa-war, a former Tong Upper School pupil who had been training as a mechanic, said the smash had devastated his family.

"He was loyal, sensitive and mates with everyone," said Mr Hafeez, of Round Street, West Bowling. "We feel very bitter and feel that today's case has deepened the wounds. The penalty Dr Azam got was the bare minimum and the fact he is appealing against the driving ban is taking the mick."

Mohammed Iqbal, 38, elder brother of Mazhar Iqbal, who had launched his own building business shortly before the smash, said the sentence was "ridiculous." "Everything was just starting for him," he said.

"He was even due to travel to Pakistan to look into getting married. We still have the flight tickets but not Mazhar."

Prosecutor Graham Ander-son told the court Azam had turned left out of a minor road into Laisteridge Lane in Brad-ford and was planning to turn right at a staggered junction onto Little Horton Green.

But he did not come to a halt at a stop line in the middle of the road and did not see the oncoming bike.

The court was told the bike was travelling at twice the speed limit - around 60mph in a 30mph zone.

Mr Anderson said: "The Crown say he was not paying proper attention and ought to have seen the motorcycle.

"Whilst it was travelling at excessive speed, the defendant ought to have seen the motorcycle coming towards him."

Ruth Cranidge, mitigating, told the court the incident would not have happened had the bike not been going too fast.

She said Azam was sorry for what had happened and had only recently been able to return to full-time work at his practise at Park Grange Medical Centre in Woodhead Road, Great Horton. "He is a man used to saving lives," said Miss Cranidge.

She said Azam, of Silverhill Road, Bradford, was ranked as one of the best performing GPs in the city during 2005.

Deputy District Judge John Sawyer fined Dr Azam £1,500, disqualified him from driving for nine months and ordered six points be put on his licence.

Miss Cranidge launched an appeal against the driving ban. Azam will be allowed to drive until it is heard.