Man jailed for causing death of boy in collision

A man who caused the death of a five-year-old boy after he ignored a no entry sign on a street in Leeds has been jailed for six years.

Colin Agyei, 32, of Pear Tree Grove, Knottingley, was driving his Nissan Note when he collided with Abdullah Ebrahim as he ran across Back Camberley Street in Beeston on 7 July 2022.

Leeds Crown Court heard the road was rarely used by vehicles and Abdullah did not have time to react. He was taken to hospital but died shortly afterwards.

Agyei was sentenced to six years imprisonment after was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving last month.

In a victim statement Abdullah's mother Salma Begum said: "What I cannot understand, and what I will never forget, is that he failed to stop and left my child there.

The statement went on to say she would "never forget the image of Abdullah lying on the floor on his own" and that image was "something I carry every single day."

In a further extract she said: "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 statement also said "the pain did not end with that verdict" after waiting "four years for justice."

"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."

Det Sgt Steve Suggitt, of West Yorkshire Police's Major Collision Enquiry Team, said: "This was a truly tragic incident that resulted in the death of a young boy and robbed a family of a lifetime of shared memories.

"This collision was completely avoidable had Agyei complied with the no entry sign and not driven into Back Camberley Street.

Abdullah would not have been expecting a vehicle to be driving up the road and did not have time to react.

Suggitt added: "Agyei admitted a lesser careless driving offence but was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

"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."

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