Banned driver killed woman in hit-and-run ‘because he wasn’t wearing his glasses’

Amaan Isa was also travelling at double the speed limit, police say

Amaan Isa was not wearing his glasses when he ploughed into 80-year-old Irshad Begum (West Midlands Police)

A short-sighted driver has been jailed for killing a grandmother by mowing her down in a hit-and-run crash.

Amaan Isa, 28, was not wearing his glasses when he ploughed into 80-year-old Irshad Begum as she tried to cross a road near her home in Birmingham.

The grandmother suffered fatal injuries following the crash in Washwood Heath Road on 5 April.

Isa fled the scene in a VW Golf and drove another half a mile before abandoning the vehicle in a car park.

He handed himself into a police station later the same day but claimed he had not seen Mrs Begum because he was not wearing his glasses.

Police also discovered he was a banned driver and had taken the car, which belonged to his relative, without their consent.

A court heard forensic examination of CCTV had revealed that Isa was travelling at 56mph in a 30mph zone when he struck Mrs Begum.

Isa, of Erdington, admitted causing death by dangerous driving, being behind the wheel while disqualified and having no insurance.

On Tuesday he was jailed for six years and eight months at Birmingham Crown Court.

Eighty-year-old Irshad Begum was killed in April by a banned driver (SWNS)

Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, of West Midlands Police, said: “Our thoughts remain with Mrs Begum’s family who’ve lost a loved one in tragic circumstances.

“Isa knew he had struck a pedestrian at speed but rather than stop and try to help, he fled the area as quick as possible.

“He must have felt a huge amount of guilt and at least by handing himself in, and accepting his actions, he has saved Mrs Begum’s family further prolonged pain.”

SWNS