Speeding driver jailed for mowing down Hebden Bridge student

Ella Haigh, 20, attended Bradford Crown Court today (Friday) with her father Peter to see 21-year-old Usman Mujahid sentenced over the collision which left her in hospital for a month.

Miss Haigh, who is now about to go to university, had been crossing Hall Ings in Bradford city centre 14 months ago when she was hit by the defendant’s Ford Fiesta which was travelling at about 40 to 50mph in a 30mph zone.

The court heard that she had been heading to the railway station after a night out when she was struck by the car and thrown 25 metres along the road.

Judge Peter Benson heard that Mujahid, of Maidstone Street, Bradford, remained at the scene after the collision, but he only pleaded guilty to the newly enacted charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving when his case was listed for a trial last month.

Prosecutor Chris Smith outlined details of the injuries suffered by Miss Haigh which included a broken right elbow and a fractured right shoulder.

She also suffered two broken bones in her spine and a fractured skull, which at one stage led to her being admitted to the intensive care unit on a neurological ward.

The court heard that Miss Haigh was in hospital for a month and had been left with hearing problems and some long-term memory loss.

Mujahid, who worked as a salesman for a bakery firm, was said to have expressed genuine remorse over the collision, but Judge Benson noted that about three months later he was apparently convicted in his absence for driving another car without insurance.

The judge told Mujahid that it was to his credit that he remained at the scene that night, but he said his delay in pleading guilty to the offence would have added considerably to the suffering of the Haigh family.

Judge Benson said an immediate prison sentence was inevitable and he also banned Mujahid from driving for the next two years.

Mujahid will also have to take an extended driving test before lawfully driving again.

After the hearing Miss Haigh said she was relieved that the case was over and her father said he hoped it would send a message to other young people about driving too fast.