Father’s fury as ‘remorseless’ boy racer who ploughed into and killed his 16-year-old daughter is jailed for 14 years: ‘He should have got life’
Father's fury as 'remorseless' boy racer who ploughed into and killed his 16-year-old daughter is jailed for 14 years: 'He should have got life'
- The two men were jailed 14 years for causing Alisha's death by dangerous driving
- Her father Bijur Goup said family will appeal for their sentences to be increased
The father of a 16-year-old girl who was killed by a 'remorseless' BMW driver racing at over twice the speed limit is furious the driver was only jailed for 14 years.
Alisha Goup, 16, was mown down by a BMW 3 series car driven by Omar Choudhury, 22, after he lost control while racing through 30mph streets in Oldham, at speeds of up to 66mph.
He was being chased by Hamidur Rahman, 24, who was driving an uninsured BMW 1 series car, and had earlier threatened Choudhury with a baseball bat.
The two men were found guilty of causing the teenager's death by dangerous driving after a trial at Manchester[3]'s Minshull Street Crown Court. They were both jailed for 14 years on Wednesday and disqualified from driving for a minimum of 12 years.
But Alisha's father Bijur Goup said the family is 'not happy with the sentence' and that Choudhury 'should have got life' for killing a 'vulnerable pedestrian'.
Alisha Goup was killed as she walked along the pavement to college by BMW driver Omar Choudhury who was racing at over twice the speed limit
Choudhury's car, ringed in blue, is chased by Rahman's which is circled in red
Omar Choudhury was doing 66mph in a 30mph zone shortly before he mounted the pavement
HamiduhrRahman brandished a baseball bat before Choudhury set off 'like a rocket', with him in pursuit
Mr Goup, a teacher, said: 'We're not happy with the sentence – Choudhury should have got life. There's not been an ounce of remorse about killing a child who was a vulnerable pedestrian.'
In a victim statement read to the court, Mr Goup and Alisha's mother Anuradha Ghosh added 'a part of us died that day, too'.
The couple said: 'The dreadful news of Alisha being killed not crossing the road but on the pavement is hard to take. She was killed in a place you are supposed to be safe.'
Mr Goup, in an interview with ITV[4] yesterday, said that Chodhury showed no remorse.
After ploughing into Alisha, Choudhury – who had previously recorded himself speeding at 150mph on a motorway – attempted to drive off but the damage to his car forced him to stop just seconds later. He was detained by members of the public.
The grieving father claimed Chodhury told the court he intended to keep speeding and drive on to his mother's house, an additional mile away.
'If he hadn't hit my Alisha, he was going to hit somebody on the way,' he added.
Mr Gourp shared that the incident is 'still raw' and 'playing on my mind 24/7'.
'It should have been him that died really,' he said of Choudhury, adding: 'I think 14 years is not justifiable. The law has just changed, if you are a vulnerable pedestrian, the sentence should be higher.'
The devastated Goup family said Alisha was ‘the most caring, selfless, sensible person you could meet’ and that their ‘world fell apart’ after her death in the afternoon of February 23.
They family says they will appeal for Choudhury and Rahman's sentences to be increased.
Alisha's father Bijur Goup (pictured) said the family is 'not happy with the sentence' and that Choudhury 'should have got life' for killing a 'vulnerable pedestrian'
Alisha was walking to classes at Oldham Sixth Form College in Greater Manchester when she was hit by Choudhury's BMW.
Choudhury was being chased by Rahman, a member of his extended family, whom he had 'beef' with. Prosecutors said Rahman blamed Choudhury for informing his family about his relationship with a woman which her family 'disapproved' of.
Choudhury was doing 66mph in a 30mph zone shortly before he mounted the pavement in Rochdale Road, Oldham, in February.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard he was trying to overtake a car on the wrong side of the road, before clipping another vehicle and losing control.
The pair both admitted driving dangerously, but denied causing the death of the teenager.
Despite trying to blame each other, they were found guilty this week of causing death by dangerous driving.
Rahman and Choudhury, both of Oldham, were both jailed for 14 years and banned from driving for 12 years.
They had met in a chance encounter earlier on February 23 which descended into violence.
Rahman brandished a baseball bat before Choudhury set off 'like a rocket', with Rahman in pursuit.
Witnesses who saw the cars speed by thought the men behind the wheels were 'racing', with one man saying they were 'going to kill someone driving like that'.
Rahman turned off the road six seconds before the crash, but prosecutors said he was just as guilty as Choudhury as he made a 'significant contribution' to how Choudhury drove.
Alisha was pronounced dead at the scene following the collision, which occurred at about 1.30pm near the Royal Oldham Hospital.
There was an overwhelming amount of CCTV and dashcam footage showing the speeding
Speaking to an officer, Choudhury said: 'I was driving down the road and I was going too fast because I was trying to get away because these men were chasing me with a knife and now someone has punched me.'
After his arrest he asked: 'Have I killed someone?'
Rahman has previous convictions for handling stolen goods and dangerous driving when he was a teenager. Choudhury has no previous convictions.
Rahman's letter to the court said: 'I feel total pain and heartache over the incident and the fact I played a part in it.
'I pray her parents and siblings can find peace and can forgive me for the wrongs to them. I can't imagine the pain they feel - I am so sorry.'
In tribute to their daughter, Alisha's parents said in a statement: 'We would like to thank the police for their thorough investigation, this has been the most difficult time of our life, knowing Omar Choudhury has killed our daughter and that he has been trying to defend the indefensible.
'Alisha was our first born and was the happiest moment of our life, which was the same day we got the keys to our first house, it was a double celebration. She was everything to us and was the reason we woke up every day and went to work to give us all a better life.
'We are a small, quiet, very private family, we did everything together as a family - every Friday was a takeaway and movie night, every Saturday was an eating out night and every Sunday was a walking day out.
'Weekday evenings we always walked to do our shopping, we goofed around, laughed, joked, talked about life goals, told stories of the day and argued during those shopping trips.
Choudhury's car ringed in blue can be seen in this video of them racing through Oldham
The footage was key in securing a conviction of both of the drivers over Miss Goup's death
'Alisha was the most caring, selfless, sensible person you could meet. She was the glue that kept all the children together, she was always there for her parents and her siblings.
'The dreadful news of Alisha being killed, not crossing the road but whilst walking on the pavement is hard to take as we always ensured the children all knew about road safety from a young age, little did we know none of that would matter as she was killed in a place you are supposed to be safe, the pavement.
'How are we ever supposed to let our other children walk on the pavement, we don't let them walk to school very often, we are always worried when they leave for school now.
'Our whole world fell apart. We all cried. A part of us died that day too and we all would give anything to have our Alisha back.'
CCTV footage used by officers showed both individuals racing through the streets of Oldham, overtaking cars on St Mary's Way and Chadderton Way before heading along Rochdale Road, where Rahman turned off onto Coldhurst Street. Rahman was driving a BMW 1 series, without insurance.
After hitting Miss Goup, Choudhury - who had previously recorded himself speeding at 150mph on a motorway - continued to drive through traffic lights and away from the scene, eventually coming to a stop outside Royal Oldham Hospital. He was detained by members of the public until officers arrived.
Rahman was arrested a few days later.
CCTV showed Choudhury and Rahman racing through the town's streets and overtaking cars. Choudhury lost control and his BMW mounted the pavement, hitting Alisha.
Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones told Rahman he 'should have known' his aggressive driving would have caused Choudhury to drive the way he did.
Police Sergeant Louise Warhurst, from GMP's Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: 'On a day where our colleagues were actively fighting crime in Oldham... our road policing officers received the worst news and responded to this tragic incident.
'Alisha was walking along the footpath where she should have been safe. Tragically, Omar Choudhury and Hamidur Rahman were treating the public highway as their personal race track with no regard whatsoever for all other members of the public using the roads in Oldham that day.
Boy racers who used the Oldham roads as a racetrack were jailed for 14 years each after killing Alisha Goup
The video showed Choudhury's car which was recognisable due to the personalised plate
CCTV footage used by officers showed both individuals racing through the streets of Oldham
'Both these men drove dangerously at astonishing speeds because of a petty disagreement. They have demonstrated their arrogance by denying their responsibility throughout, each blaming the other, neither willing to accept responsibility for causing Alisha's death. Thankfully, they were both found guilty.
'I would like to thank all the members of the public that came forward and assisted the police with our investigation. I would like to thank the family, friends and loved ones of Alisha, you have conducted yourself with dignity throughout this trial and our thoughts as a force remain with you all. We hope this investigation provides some form of closure through the justice served.
'I'd also like to remind those who think they can ignore the speed limit to think twice before using their car at high speeds. Your actions can devastate innocent members of the public in a split second and no one deserves to lose a loved one the way the family and friends of Alisha have done.
'Dangerous drivers will not be tolerated in our communities. Greater Manchester Police will deal with them robustly to keep people safe from illegal and irresponsible drivers.'
References
- ^ Natasha Anderson (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Richard Marsden (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Manchester (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ ITV (www.itv.com)