Punjabi-origin man gets 11-year jail term for fatal hit-and-run in England
An English court has sentenced a man of Punjabi origin to 11 years and three months in prison for the crime of driving his car into a couple on Soho Road.
According to West Midlands Police, 41-year-old Harinderpal Athwal left Birmingham city centre on the morning of December 16 and proceeded along Soho Road, where he suddenly swerved his car into oncoming traffic and drove it onto the pavement.
Before crashing into a parked car, he struck a 54-year-old man and his 47-year-old wife. Athwal then reversed the vehicle and struck the man a second time, causing him severe injuries; he subsequently fled the scene.
The man died at the scene, while his wife sustained injuries that have permanently altered her life; she was taken to the hospital.
In a statement, the widow said that Athwal’s actions had robbed her of her husband, ruined her health, and devastated the lives of her children. She stated that she cries for her husband every day—a man she described as her emotional support, her strength, and the bedrock of their family. Athwal, a resident of Sorrel Close in Oldbury, was arrested a day later and claimed he was unaware that anyone had died.
On January 19, he pleaded guilty to multiple offenses, including causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and causing death while driving while disqualified.
On May 13, Birmingham Crown Court sentenced Athwal to 11 years and three months in prison. Upon his release from prison, he was also banned from driving for 20 years.
