Colin Agyei Jailed for 6 Years for Killing 5-Year-Old Abdullah Ebrahim in Leeds

• Colin Agyei, 32, drove his Nissan Note down a no-entry street in Beeston, Leeds, in July 2022, striking five-year-old Abdullah Ebrahim
• Abdullah's mother Salma Begum delivered a victim impact statement describing four years of grief after waiting for justice
• West Yorkshire Police said the collision was entirely avoidable had Agyei obeyed the no-entry sign

A 32-year-old man of Ghanaian descent has been sentenced to six years in prison after being convicted of causing the death of a five-year-old boy by dangerous driving in Leeds.

Colin Agyei, of Pear Tree Grove, Knottingley, was behind the wheel of a Nissan Note on 7 July 2022 when he turned into Back Camberley Street in Beeston despite a no-entry sign clearly prohibiting vehicle access.

As he drove along the road, which was rarely used by vehicles, he struck five-year-old Abdullah Ebrahim, who had run across the street without any expectation that a car would be present. Abdullah was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

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BBC reported that the Leeds Crown Court heard that Agyei initially admitted only to a lesser charge of careless driving but was ultimately found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving last month. He was sentenced following that verdict.

In her victim impact statement, Abdullah's mother, Salma Begum, described the moment she learned her son had been left at the scene without Agyei stopping to render assistance. "What I cannot understand, and what I will never forget, is that he failed to stop and left my child there," she said.

She added that she would "never forget the image of Abdullah lying on the floor on his own" and described it as "something I carry every single day."

Begum also addressed Agyei's conduct during the trial. "I attended the trial and had to sit and listen to the defendant say that he did not see my son. I heard his account change several times, and I felt that he was not telling the truth about what happened."

The family had waited four years between the incident and sentencing. "The pain did not end with that verdict," Begum wrote. "During that time, I have had to go through this awful ordeal again and again — having to attend court, hear the evidence and relive the circumstances of Abdullah's death has caused me enormous emotional suffering."

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West Yorkshire Police Statement on the Verdict

Detective Sergeant Steve Suggitt of West Yorkshire Police's Major Collision Enquiry Team said the tragedy was entirely preventable.

"This collision was completely avoidable had Agyei complied with the no entry sign and not driven into Back Camberley Street," he said. "Abdullah would not have been expecting a vehicle to be driving up the road and did not have time to react."

Suggitt acknowledged the limits of the judicial outcome in the face of such loss. "While he has been given a custodial sentence, I know that no sentence can ever in any way equate to the lifetime of grief that Abdullah's family face," he added.

Source: YEN.com.gh