{"id":229274,"date":"2025-10-28T02:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T02:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/229274\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T02:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T02:28:09","slug":"taxi-driver-who-left-cyclist-paralysed-after-jumping-red-light-avoids-jail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/229274\/","title":{"rendered":"Taxi driver who left cyclist paralysed after jumping red light avoids jail"},"content":{"rendered":"

A taxi driver who drove through a red light and struck a cyclist, leaving him paralysed, has avoided a prison sentence, after a judge concluded that the motorist \u201cdid not intend to cause harm\u201d, with a court hearing that his decision to jump the red light was \u201cspurred by the pressure of a busy junction\u201d.<\/p>\n

Khalid Mohammad, formerly Haroon Malik, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by careless driving and was handed a 19-week sentence, suspended for 12 months, following the collision last September, which left the cyclist unable to walk and forced to spend months in hospital.<\/p>\n

On 16 September 2024, 66-year-old taxi driver Mohammed was stopped at a junction in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, for 11 seconds when he began driving through a red light and hit a 53-year-old cyclist, who was approaching from the right on Wedgewood Street, where the lights were green, StokeonTrentLive<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n

Describing the horrific incident in Stoke-on-Trent Court last week, prosecutor Barry White said the cyclist is \u201cnow completely paralysed\u201d, with White arguing that Mohammed \u201cshould have been paying more due care and attention\u201d.<\/p>\n

>\u00a0MPs demand lifetime driving bans and stricter phone laws to address justice system “failing” families of those killed in collisions<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was riding his bike up Wedgwood Street when Mr Mohammad was approaching the junction from Moorland Road in his Toyota Prius,\u201d White told the court.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr Mohammad entered the junction and waited for an opportunity to turn. It was busy, so he didn\u2019t get a chance to turn while the light was green.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, after the light had been on red for 11 seconds, he made a risky manoeuvre and turned. The lights had gone green for the cyclist, so he had begun travelling across the junction. As he passed in front of Mr Mohammad, the defendant turned and hit him.\u201d<\/p>\n

One witness also said that they saw the cyclist cross through the junction, which was particularly busy at the time, before a driver pulled out at \u201caround 5mph\u201d, causing the rider to collide with the side of the vehicle.<\/p>\n

\"SwanSwan Square, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, appraoaching from Wedgewood Street (credit: Google Streetview)<\/p>\n

In a victim impact statement written last year, the cyclist told the court that on the day of the crash, \u201cmy life changed forever\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike the driver, who simply had his car repaired and began enjoying meals with his family again in a matter of weeks, I spent weeks suffering delusions while recovering,\u201d the 53-year-old\u2019s statement read.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter waking, I could only communicate through facial movements or clicks. I only became able to eat after being transferred to Southport Spinal Facility. While the driver spends every day with his family, I spend my most of my time in hospital alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI miss my family. I miss my wife. I miss my son. I\u2019m now missing Christmas, his last year of high school, and his prom.\u201d<\/p>\n

>\u00a0Cyclist killed by distracted lorry driver on London bridge \u201csadly contributed to her own death\u201d, says judge as driver avoids prison<\/a><\/p>\n

Mitigating, Matthew Ness claimed that the crash, and Mohammad\u2019s decision to drive through a red light, was a horrific stain on \u201can otherwise perfect driving record\u201d, one which has also led to him losing his job as a taxi driver.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a genuinely tragic case,\u201d Ness said in court. \u201cThere is nothing I can say that alters the reality or alleviates the suffering of the cyclist and his family. Mr Mohammad acknowledges that his lapse of judgement, however momentary, has caused such devastation. He will be filled with guilt for the rest of his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe came to the UK in 2000, before getting a driving licence in 2005. He worked as a chef before eventually becoming a taxi driver 12 years ago. His driving record has been unblemished and he is of previous good character.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was a poorly executed manoeuvre, spurred by the pressure of a busy junction. The severest punishment he will ever face is having to live with the guilt of what he has done. He has lost his employment, and he will not be able to become a taxi driver again, which is the only employment he can find thanks to his health conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mohammad was sentenced to 19 weeks in prison, suspended for a year, and banned from driving for 12 months. He has also been ordered to pay \u00a3500 in costs.<\/p>\n

>\u00a0Driver who almost hit group of cycling police officers head-on after being \u201ctaken by surprise\u201d avoids conviction<\/a><\/p>\n

Sentencing the 66-year-old, recorder Robert Smith told him: \u201cIn the police interview, you made immediate admissions and expressed remorse. I accept you are sorry for what you did.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are described as a hard-working family man. You were setting about your normal workday. You did not intend to cause harm that day. But the consequence of the collision \u2013 short of the cyclist dying \u2013 couldn\u2019t have been any worse. The impact on his family has been immense and their statements to the court were highly moving.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou are the culprit behind a world of pain. But you didn\u2019t intend to cause this. I accept that prison would also have a negative impact on the care you provide for your disabled son. The truth is, no sentence could alleviate the cyclist’s suffering. And sentencing is not about retribution.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A taxi driver who drove through a red light and struck a cyclist, leaving him paralysed, has avoided…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":229275,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,101,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-229274","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-sports","10":"tag-uk","11":"tag-united-kingdom","12":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=229274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/229274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/229275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=229274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=229274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=229274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}