11 hours ago
Bus driver who killed young girl riding bike on pavement jailed for four years
A bus driver who killed a nine-year-old girl riding her bike on the pavement having fallen asleep at the wheel with drugs in his system has been jailed for four years, the Metropolitan Police said.
Ada Bicakci died in hospital on August 5 last year, two days after the collision in Bexleyheath, south-east London, which left her with 'catastrophic injuries'.
Martin Asolo-Ogugua, 23, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Monday having pleaded guilty in April to causing Ada's death by dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs.
The defendant, of Southwark, south-east London, failed a drug-test at the scene of the incident and was found to have taken cannabis the night before.
CCTV showed Asolo-Ogugua driving the bus west on London Road, with Ada on a footpath heading east on Watling Street before the defendant fell asleep and the bus drifted across the carriageway and into the path of the girl and her family, according to police.
Ada's father, Bora, said: 'The images of that horrific moment remain seared into my mind. That scene replays endlessly, a constant reminder of the day my world fractured beyond repair.
'This tragedy happened on my watch, a father's ultimate failure. My world has been turned upside down, and with it, the foundations of my family have crumbled.
'My darling Ada. Our thanks are not enough to show our gratitude for you. We will honour your name with acts of magnitude. You will never be forgotten.
'We will make this story one of love and thanks that we owe everybody. Your presence, and passing, will leave a mark in this country and we will fight to make drug driving a part of its history.'
Senior Crown Prosecutor Miranda Jollie called Asolo-Ogugua 'utterly selfish'.
She said: 'Asolo-Ogugua was reckless and utterly selfish to get behind the wheel of a bus after consuming drugs and put many lives at risk that day.
'His actions have robbed a young girl of her entire life. Our thoughts remain with Ada's family and friends as they try to come to terms with their unimaginable loss.'
Ada, a Turkish-British national, lived in Bexleyheath with her family and was a keen gymnast and swimmer.
She attended a local primary school where she was described by police as a 'popular and happy pupil'.
Her organs were donated and she went on to help six other people after her death, her family said previously.
Detective Sergeant Sam Miles said: 'Asolo-Ogugua will have to spend the rest of his life regretting the night he chose to stay awake before getting behind the wheel of a bus with cannabis in his system.
'It's a night that has cost him his freedom and snatched away the life of an innocent little girl.
'Ada had her whole life ahead of her.'
