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Bradford drivers whose 80mph race led to cyclist's death each jailed for four years

Court hears how cyclist died as motorists sought to determine which of their cars was quicker

Two motorists whose high-speed race through Bradford at speeds of up to 80 miles an hour led to the death of a cyclist in September 2011 have each been jailed for four years at Bradford Crown Court.

Vitalijs Rozenbergs, originally from Latvia, had been riding to work on a night shift at an abattoir in Leeds when he was struck by an Audi RS3 driven by Mohammed Khan, aged 25, at 1.45am on the morning of 16 September 2011, reports Asianimage.co.uk.

Khan had been racing Shajah Rehman, aged 31, driving a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, as the pair sought to determine which car was quicker, with the cars travelling at twice the speed limit on Canal Road when the fatal collision took place.

Both motorists pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, with Khan, who like Rehman and the victim lived in Bradford, also admitting the charge of driving while uninsured.

The collision, which CCTV footage revealed happened as the cars were racing side by side, resulted in Mr Rozenbergs being thrown 15 metres.

The court was told that he was wearing headphones and his bike was not equipped with lights, although it did have reflectors, but street lighting was good.

As Khan sought to avoid hitting the cyclist, his car hit Rehman’s Mercedes, which ran into the central reservation. Khan stayed at the scene to await the arrival of the emergency services, while Rehman fled but turned himself in the following day.

The court heard that automatic number plate recognition cameras revealed that earlier that evening, Khan had covered the 223 miles from Cardiff to Bradford at an average speed of 85 miles an hour.

Sentencing the pair, Judge Peter Benson said: “Racing is a seriously aggravating feature of this type of offence.”

He added: “As Mr Rozenbergs was cycling across you two were driving down racing each other and as a result you Mohammed Khan struck Mr Rozenbergs while he was on his bike throwing him into the air and causing catastrophic injuries from which he would have died almost immediately,”

Both were also banned from driving for four years, to be served after the end of their prison terms.

Following sentencing, Sergeant Garry Alderson from West Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Enquiry Team commented: “For a few moments of thrill seeking, these two men have found themselves with a lifetime of regret, alongside a significant custodial sentence.

“Racing on West Yorkshire's roads is extremely dangerous and will not be tolerated. The consequences of which can end lives and ruin many more, as we have witnessed in this particular case.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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Bigfoz | 11 years ago
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If I was messing about with my shotgun and killed someone I'd be in for manslaughter. Why should a car be anything different?

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