An ‘immature’ man with a 'fascination' with 'high powered and fast cars' killed a woman after he ploughed his Mercedes into her as she crossed the road.
Manchester Crown Court heard that on the evening of October 25 2021, a blue Mercedes Benz G63 was seen driving at high speed by defendant Mohammed Chowdhury along Alan Turing Way in Manchester.
The court heard that one witness described hearing a ‘loud engine noise’ from the vehicle before it passed him at such a speed it caused his vehicle to shake. The witness estimated the speed was similar to that seen on the motorway.
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A few minutes later, at around 9pm, the court was told an off-duty police officer also noticed Chowdhury’s manner of driving. The Mercedes overtook at ‘excessive speed’ along the 30mph road, harshly breaking before then accelerating again and overtaking cars on the wrong side.
Further along Alan Turing Way, at around 9.05pm, Ibizugbe Joy Ikponnmwen had finished her shift at work and was walking towards the bus stop to head home. The 38-year-old reached the crossing at the junction with Ashton Old Road and crossed halfway to the central reservation.
It was at this point, prosecutors say, that she thought it was safe to cross. She was then struck by the Mercedes at high speed, suffering catastrophic injuries and died that same evening.
The court heard that Chowdhury, aged 22, was reaching speeds of around 80mph along the 30mph stretch before the fatal crash, and was on a phone call whilst doing so.
Prosecuting, Brian Berlyne told the court reconstruction experts calculated that 700 metres from the collision site, Chowdhury was driving at between 79 and 81 mph. He added that Mrs Ikponnwmen would've been visible and that if he had have braked in time, the crash would've been avoided.
The court heard that Chowdhury made and received a series of phone calls between 8.51pm and the time of the crash, and that he was on a call when he drove into Mrs Ikponnwmen, something Judge Clayson argued would’ve been a ‘distraction’ when driving at ‘excessive speed’.
Chowdhury remained at the scene and called the police after the fatal crash, but in a later police interview he denied his standard of driving was to blame, the court was told. He eventually pleaded guilty to the offence of causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier pre-trial review hearing on March 13.
The court heard that Chowdhury has had a ‘fascination’ with ‘high powered and fast cars’ since he was a teenager and had access to such vehicles, including the Mercedes, through the family business.
In a powerful victim impact statement read out to court, Ibizugbe’s husband said the day she was killed in the fatal collision was the day his ‘life ended forever’.
The pair had first met at Salford University and had been together for ten years. They were planning to raise a family and have a baby through IVF treatment. Ibizugbe also had aspirations to become a teacher or a nurse.
Chowdhury was under investigation at the time of the fatal crash having been caught driving without insurance 11 days earlier.
In mitigation, Mohammed Nawaz KC said Mr Chowdhury ‘expresses his deepest remorse and sympathy’ for the fatal crash.
A psychological report noted that Chowdhury had ‘below average cognitive ability’ and that he had experienced ‘post traumatic stress’ following the death of his dad in 2020 and a quad bike accident he had in 2017.
Mr Nawaz also made reference to his young age and his limited previous convictions. Chowdhury wept in the dock throughout the hearing.
“His deep sense of regret and remorse and his sense of realisation of what his behaviour has caused was brought home into very sharp focus recently because his sister was injured in a collision, caused by another driver going through red traffic lights,” he said.
“She sustained significant injuries. Seeing the suffering has brought home the effects of bad driving.”
Sentencing, Judge Timothy Clayson said: “Expert evidence demonstrates at a point you were travelling at about 80mph in a 30mph limit. The only way to describe your speed on this occasion is grossly excessive.
“You could’ve avoided the collision had you seen Mrs Ikponnmwen when you should’ve done, despite the speed you were going.
“I am bound to conclude you were avoidably distracted, engaging in telephone calls whilst travelling at great speed. You did see her before the crash, but by then, it was too late.
“We have heard a moving victim impact statement from her husband. He has lost his wife. They had been hoping to start a family. She was much-loved, a lady with ability and aspirations, with plans to go into teaching or nursing.
“It seems to me that since passing your (driving) test you've demonstrated a tendency to break motoring laws to avoid the consequences of those breaches of road traffic legislation.
“You’re still young and it is clear you are significantly immature - and that was relevant to your decision to drive as you did.”
Chowdhury, of Rosen Square, Chadderton, was sentenced to five years and six months imprisonment for which he must serve half in custody and a further half on license. He was disqualified from driving for six years and must take an extended driving test before being able to drive again.
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