A man has been handed a prison sentence after colliding with a group of students, killing a young woman and injuring two others.
Christopher Jackson careened into Aalia Mahomed while driving recklessly on the Strand in Aldwych on the morning of March 18 last year.
Jackson, 27, had arrived near Bush House, at King’s College London’s Aldwych campus to collect two electric vehicles, before he slammed his van into a set of iron gates protecting the pedestrianised area of the Strand.
The gates were forced open, seriously injuring a 28-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man.
Emergency services arrived just before midday, and the man and woman were taken to hospital with ‘severe and life-changing’ injuries.
Jackson had continued to accelerate his van and mounted a flower bed within the pedestrianised area, where he collied with Aalia.
The van driver was arrested by officers minutes later after his vehicle finally came to a halt at a wall near St Mary-le-Strand church.
The 20-year-old student was sitting on a bench facing away from Jackson’s vehicle at the time of the incident and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Aalia was described by her family as a ‘bright, kind and beautiful soul, who brought joy and laughter to everyone around her’.
An investigation found that Jackson’s van had no mechanical fault with the incident found to be the cause of unintended acceleration worsened by Jackson’s panic.
Jackson, from Southampton, pleaded guilty to one count of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
He was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday to eight years in prison for the first charge, as well as three years for the injury charges, to be served concurrently.
DCS Donna Smith said: ‘It is almost a year to the day since this terrible incident took place. It should never have happened, and Aalia should still be with us today, surrounded by those who loved her.
‘Our thoughts, as always, remain with Aalia’s family and friends. Their strength over the past year has been extraordinary. We cannot begin to imagine the immeasurable suffering they have been through since last March.
‘We would also like to share our thoughts with the two other victims, whose lives have been forever changed. They continue to show remarkable courage, and we know their lives will never be the same.
‘Finally, I’d like to thank everyone involved in this investigation. We hope that this case serves as a reminder of the consequences of dangerous driving.’
Roy Pershad, on behalf of the CPS, said: ‘This was a catastrophic crash which claimed the life of Aalia, a young woman with her whole future ahead of her, and left two other people with life-changing injuries.
‘Every person who gets behind the wheel has a responsibility to drive safely and with due care for those around them — the consequences when that driving falls short of that responsibility can be devastating.’
He added: ‘We hope today’s sentence provides some measure of justice and comfort to Aalia’s family and to the other victims, as they continue to grieve and recover.’