A Ghanaian delivery driver living in the UK, Colin Agyei, 32, has been sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of causing the death of a five-year-old boy in Leeds through dangerous driving.
Agyei was making deliveries on July 7, 2022, when he drove the wrong way along Back Camberley Street in Beeston, using the route because it saved time.
His vehicle struck Abdullah Ebrahim as the child crossed the road. Abdullah was taken to hospital but later died.
A jury at Leeds Crown Court found Agyei guilty of causing death by dangerous driving last month. He was sentenced on Thursday and also banned from driving for more than seven years.
Sentencing him, Judge Tom Bayliss KC said Agyei had taken Abdullah’s life because using the wrong route saved him time.
“The one-way system was clearly signed and you had ample opportunity to observe these signs,” the judge said.
The judge noted that the road was narrow and separated the back gardens of two rows of terraced houses. Although Agyei was not speeding, his speed was considered inappropriate for the road.
The court also accepted that he was remorseful and had been “oblivious” to the collision.
“This was a little boy,” he said.
Abdullah’s mother, Salma Begum, told the court about the lasting impact of her son’s death.
“I will never forget the image of Abdullah lying on the floor on his own. That image has stayed with me for four years. It is something I carry every single day,” she said.
Begum also questioned why Agyei did not stop after the collision and said she did not believe his account of events.
She described the four-year legal process as difficult for her family.
“Four years have passed, but my grief has not passed. I still miss my son. I still think about him every day,” she said.
The jury reached its guilty verdict in about 40 minutes after Agyei had admitted a lesser offence of careless driving.
Detective Sergeant Steve Suggit of West Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Enquiry Team said the crash could have been avoided had Agyei followed the no-entry sign.
Police estimated that Agyei was travelling at about 15mph, while testing showed vehicles could not safely travel on the road at speeds above 7mph because of its layout.
Suggit said no sentence could compensate Abdullah’s family for his death.
