Speeding driver jailed over fatal Leeds crash

Umer Abid was jailed after being convicted of causing death by dangerous driving

A driver who killed a man after driving at almost twice the speed limit has been jailed for eight years.

Umer Abid, 24, was driving at 78mph (125km/h) on Easterly Road, Leeds, on 20 September 2020, when he collided with a Seat Alhambra.

The driver of the Seat, Yousaf Razzaq, was killed, and his wife seriously injured in the incident.

Abid, who was convicted at a trial at Leeds Crown Court in February, was also banned from driving for eight years.

Yousaf Razzaq was killed, and his wife seriously injured, after their car was hit by a speeding driver in Leeds

The court heard Mr Razzaq's Seat was turning right at the junction with Hollins Park Mount, and was midway across the 40mph (64 km/h) zone of the dual carriageway, when it was hit by Abid's Volkswagen.

In February, Abid, of Montagu Avenue, Leeds, was found guilty of causing the death of Mr Razzaq by dangerous driving and seriously injuring Mr Razzaq's wife, Iqra Tabassum.

The sentencing, on Thursday, followed his conviction at the three-day trial at Leeds Crown Court.

After sentencing, the family of the victim - who was father to a 15-month-old boy - said they had lost a "loved son, grandson, brother and husband".

'Tragic carelessness'

The family said Mr Razzaq had been "working hard to establish a future for himself and his family" before the collision which killed him, adding that his life had been ended as a result of "tragic carelessness".

Det Con Debbie Farley said the consequences of Abid's dangerous driving had been "catastrophic".

"Yousaf Razzaq's family have been left utterly devastated by his death," she said.

"What makes this case all the more heartbreaking is that Yousaf's son was just 15 months old when his father died," she added.