Chizoro Barnabas Edohasim, a 47-year-old Nigerian man living in the UK, was sentenced on Friday, 26 January, 2018, to 4-years in prison for causing the death of his 9-year-old daughter, Olivia Edohasim, through dangerous driving.
Edohasim was travelling at 60mph as he desperately tried to get the young girl and her sister to a maths lesson on time.
As he was rushing quickly to get Olivia and her sister Eva, 11, to a tutor his Toyota Auris went through a red light at full throttle and ploughed into a wall.
Olivia was at the passenger’s back seat, she was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash after emergency services were called near Stamford Brook Road at around 10.50 am while her injured 11-year-old sister was rushed to hospital.
Chizoro as also injured in the crash. He was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The injuries he suffered in the incident left him in a wheelchair. In addition to his jail term, He was also disqualified from driving for five years.
Sentencing him at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, Judge Stuart Driver QC said: ‘I find your driving to that point amounted to a deliberate dangerous manoeuvre.
‘When you were back in your lane you were driving above the 30mph speed limit and you had red lights ahead of you.
‘You intended to brake but evidence shows that instead of braking, for at least the last six seconds the accelerator was pressed, and for the last four seconds it was pressed to the floor.
‘It was not suggested that was deliberate. I find that you intended to press the brake pedal but pressed the accelerator in error.
‘You reacted to your mistake by pressing the pedal harder and keeping your foot pressed down. Your car shot through the junction and into a wall.
‘Your daughter Olivia, nine, was killed and your daughter Eva, 11, sustained serious injuries for which she needed surgery and spent up to one month in hospital.’
The judge added: ‘There is a grave aggravating feature that you also caused serious injury to your older daughter, which means both sentences will be higher to reflect.
‘There are two powerful factors in mitigation. One is the injuries to yourself, the second is the fact you are a man of exemplary good character.
‘Witnesses have spoken about you in glowing terms. I accept that any conviction will have a significant impact on your career.
‘Finally, and most importantly in mitigation, there is the factor that the deceased was one of your children.
‘I accept that you were a loving father and this will make a significant difference to your sentence.
‘You will carry with you the heavy burden of what you did for the rest of your life.
‘But the offences you committed were so serious only a substantial prison sentence can be imposed.’
In mitigation, Simon Russell Flint QC, said: ‘This case is more than tragic. ‘It was his fault, the jury decided, and for some inexplicable and senseless reason he didn’t press the brake pedal but instead pressed the accelerator.
‘For any father to have to carry this with them is a huge burden. There is no doubt the Dr Edohasim will continue to suffer long after any sentence from the court has expired.’
The court heard that Dr Edohasim had one previous conviction for a motoring offence, when he was flashed by a speed camera on the motorway, for which he received a fixed penalty.
Sergeant Brian Orr, of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: ‘This was a very tragic case, this family have been ripped apart by the stupidity of their father and his little girl has lost her life due to his dangerous driving.
‘He will have to live with that guilt for the rest of his life, knowing that he killed his own daughter. There really are no winners in this case.
‘Prison is the lesser of the punishments that Edohasim will suffer. This tragic incident shows that we will always bring those who gamble with peoples’ lives by driving dangerously, to justice.’
