17-05-2025
Uninsured learner driver ran off after killing woman in head-on crash
A learner driver who killed a woman and left her husband with life-changing injuries after ploughing head-on into their car has been jailed for more than 11 years.
Khizer Ali, 24, only held a provisional licence and had no insurance when he crashed his mum's VW Golf into a Vauxhall Meriva with Valerie Ayres, 65 and her husband David, 70, on April 23 last year.
He was doing 59mph in a 40mph zone at the time of the smash, having been described as going 'full throttle' by one witness shortly before.
Mrs Ayres was killed instantly, and her husband was badly injured.
Ali pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and several related offences.
He was jailed for 11 years and three months.
Shortly before the crash, Ali had been driving his sister's car but swapped with her to get behind the wheel of their mum's Golf.
Only the two women were insured to drive the Motability scheme vehicle – Ali was not allowed to.
During his reckless journey, Ali left the car wash before turning into Enfield industrial estate and on to Windsor Road where he was clocked on the Golf's dashcam doing 62mph in a 30mph and having a near miss with a car coming the opposite direction under a railway bridge.
He was also captured on CCTV from nearby businesses driving recklessly and at high speed.
Seconds later, Ali went twice around the A441 Sainsbury's roundabout going too fast and ignoring the designated lanes before exiting on to the Alvechurch Highway 'at full throttle'.
Ali left the scene after the fatal collision and was arrested later at his home in Redditch.
His sister Sanaa Shahzad, 20, also admitted her role in the incident.
She had also been caught on the dashcam of the Golf driving dangerously and at excess speed around Redditch that day.
She had lent the car to another person and then her brother and admitted two counts of causing or permitting the use of a vehicle without valid insurance or a licence.
Shahzad changed her plea to guilty on Friday over a further charge of refusing the password or pin to her mobile phone under Section 49 of Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA).
She was bailed to be sentenced on all counts on Thursday, June 26.
Detective Constable Rose Hughes said: 'While no sentence can ever compensate for the sad loss of life in this case and the life sentence Ali's actions have imposed on the victim's family and friends, we hope that the term handed down to him today will go some way to seeing justice done.
'He showed a total disregard for the safety of the public when took the car off his sister that day, driving recklessly and dangerously which is exacerbated by the fact he should never have been behind the wheel of this car as he did not hold a full driving licence.' More Trending
DC Hughes continued: 'We hope this sentence and the tragic outcome will teach a sobering lesson about the reason for speed limits and driving regulations to anyone thinking about ever getting behind the wheel without having passed their test or driving in such a thoughtless and selfish manner putting so many people at risk as he did.
'Ali should never be driving again. Offenders like him have no place on our roads.
'His sister Shahzad quite rightly bears some of the responsibility for the outcome of this tragedy too.
'She should never have leant him the car, especially as she knew he was a learner driver with no insurance.'
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