10-05-2025
'The family will one day have to tell her child why mummy is not coming back, ever'
Two men have been jailed for more than 20 years after the death of a young mum in a car crash. During a police pursuit the Vauxhall Vectra the victim was a passenger in reached speeds of 81 mph.
Six people were in the Vectra when it smashed into a garden wall. The man behind the wheel of the car and his 'gears man' have now both been convicted, reports Yorkshire Live.
Jordan Spalding, 23, of Wharncliffe Crescent admitted causing death by dangerous driving and Shakeel Ahmed, 29, of Moresby Road, who is smirking in his police mugshot, admitted aiding and abetting in the causation of death by dangerous driving following the horror crash in Baildon, near Bradford.
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Bradford Crown Court had heard 18-year-old Amber Deakin was one of six young people in the Vectra before the collision happened in Baildon Road at around midnight on January 3, 2023. Spalding had been the driver and Ahmed had been changing the gears, the court was told.
A police car had been alerted to the speeding vehicle on Bingley Bypass and officers began a pursuit. The car - while reaching speeds of up to 81mph - was driving on the wrong side of the road, eventually crashing into a kerb and garden wall, the BBC reports.
The car flipped over before Ahmed fled the scene leaving Spalding and Ms Deakin trapped inside. Firefighters cut Spalding out but Ms Deakin, a mother to a young son, was tragically declared dead at the scene.
In a victim statement read out to the court, Ms Deakin's mother, Hayley Norton, described the "emptiness" and admitted 'every day is a struggle." Spalding was sentenced to 9 years and 10 months in prison and Ahmed was sentenced to 11 years and 1 month in prison.
The Recorder of Bradford, His Honour Jonathan Rose, said Ms Deakin's life had been "stolen" by Spalding and Ahmed. He added: "The family will one day have to tell her child why mummy is not coming back, ever."
In November last year, Spalding entered a guilty plea to causing death by dangerous driving. Ahmed was originally due to face trial but admitted his charge in February this year
Detective Constable Lindsey Pickles from the Major Collision Enquiry Team said: "The actions of Spalding and Ahmed were simply reckless and stupid. They showed no regard for the law, the passengers who were in the vehicle or other road users.
'Amber was a young mum who had her whole life ahead of her. Her child will grow up without knowing her. This is the stark reality of the consequences of driving dangerously on the roads, her death could have been avoided. Whilst Ahmed was not the driver, we welcome his sentence, he encouraged the dangerous driving as seen in the snapchat footage.
'The sentence today will never bring Amber back to her family, I hope it goes some way in providing comfort knowing that justice has been served.'
