Speeding driver jailed for killing teenage cyclist in Falkirk

Sami Ula Jabbar was also banned from driving for twelve-and-a-half years

A man who killed a teenage cyclist after driving at "breathtaking" speed in dark and foggy conditions has been jailed for five years.

Sami Ula Jabbar was travelling at about 80mph in a 30mph zone when his Mercedes E400 hit 16-year-old Harley Smith.

Jabbar, 29, previously admitted causing the teenager's death by dangerous driving in Falkirk on 6 November 2020.

He was also banned from driving for twelve-and-a-half years at the High Court in Glasgow.

The shop owner had previous convictions, including for careless driving, and was on bail at the time of the crash.

Judge Lord Mulholland told him: "You drove at 80mph - a speed which is breathtaking.

"If you had driven at a safe speed this tragedy would not have happened.

"Harley Smith would be alive today realising his full potential. It is clear he was a fine young man loved by many."

The judge described victim impact statements from Harley's relatives as "heart-wrenching".

Floral tributes to Harley Smith were laid at the scene of the collision

A court previously heard that Harley, a St Mungo's High School pupil, suffered a fatal head injury when he was struck trying to cross Polmont Road, at Laurieston.

Advocate depute Alex Prentice QC said Donald Conroy, a motorist driving on Polmont Road, saw Jabbar's Mercedes travelling at "a very high speed".

The prosecutor said: "He observed in his rear view mirror the Mercedes screeching to a halt and a person being propelled into the air to the height of what seemed like the top of the lamp post."

Police arrived to secure the scene and Jabbar admitted that he was the driver at the time of the collision.

Harley had been there having earlier left his home in Grangemouth, Stirlingshire, to meet friends.

Jabbar later told police he had been in the car with two others and a cyclist wearing all black "came out of nowhere".

He added: "I never seen him and then...boom. He came right on top of the windscreen."

Tony Lenehan, defending, told the court: "There is no sentence that can be imposed which will undo the loss suffered.

"This is a man who appreciates the harm that he has done."