Schoolboy dies after driver smashes into him while driving at ‘ridiculous speed’ | UK | News
A 15-year-old student died after being hit by a driver on his way to school. Stephen Mahebadevan, 26, was speeding at more than twice the legal limit when he hit Freddie Coleman in Stock, Essex.
Chelmsford Crown Court heard Mahebadaven was traveling at 67mph in a 30mph zone and lost control of his vehicle while trying to take a left bend. The speed at which he was driving caused him to miss the turn and instead hit a roadside footpath, hitting two children.
Freddie was thrown across the road into the path of an oncoming van; The driver did not have time to react to avoid him. A second young man was injured and hospitalized on the morning of November 3, 2023.
Mahbadevan pleaded guilty to causing Freddie’s death and injuring a second person by dangerous driving. He was sentenced to a total of 10 years in prison and disqualified from driving for 13 years and eight months at Chelmsford Crown Court.
He will receive a concurrent sentence of four years in prison for causing serious injury to the second child, according to the report Sun.
Judge Loram KC said: “It could be said that what you did was a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road.
“I watched various clips and noticed your speed about 80 meters from the side of the hill.
“I can only conclude that you were speeding because you chose to speed and because you wanted to.”
According to a witness statement, Mahebadevan was “flying” and “moving like a missile” before the crash.
Judge Loram said of the comments: “He was consciously aware of what a ridiculous speed you were traveling at.
“This wasn’t a glitch or an external problem; it was how you chose to drive.
“There can be no other conclusion to be drawn.”
Mahebadevan tried to claim that his dangerous driving was caused by a bus passing in front of him at the last minute, and even requested compensation from insurance three days after the incident.
The judge noted his alibi and said: “This was not an attempt to explain yourself, you were putting forward this version of events as fact. But it wasn’t.”
Freddie’s grieving mother, Joanne Coleman, said the day her son was killed was “the worst day of my life”. In a victim impact statement she said: “I’m screaming and crying for Fred. I don’t remember when I wake up in the morning.
“But now when I wake up it feels like I never slept.”
