Driver jailed for killing man after speeding stop

Emma Elgee & Steve Knibbs - BBC West, Gloucestershire
·1 min read

A speeding taxi driver who caused a pedestrian's death 16 minutes after police warned him about his driving has been jailed for six years and 10 months.

Shakoor Ahmed, 46, had been warned by Gloucestershire Police about his driving minutes before hitting 32-year-old Dan Beames as he crossed the road in Cheltenham on 17 December 2021.

Ahmed pleaded guilty to causing the death of "kind" Mr Beames by dangerous driving.

Mr Beames, who has been described by friends as 'a king of practical jokes and puns,' suffered fatal skull fractures in the collision.

Just after receiving the official warning, Ahmet picked up two passengers in his Toyota Prius cab and was doing 53mph in a 40mph limit in Cheltenham when he hit Mr Beames on Lansdown Road.

On sentencing at Gloucester Crown Court, Judge Rupert Lowe told Ahmet: "I characterise the dangerous driving came from a gross arrogance on your part meaning you felt you could speed when you wanted to."

A road where a man was killed
The road where Dan Beames died [BBC]

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