The family of a student killed by a careless lorry driver today said they hoped his sentencing next month would serve as a lesson to others.
Hassan Sheikh, 21 from Ilford, was a few weeks away from finishing his business degree when he died in the crash in Essex.
Joseph Smith, 55, was driving his HGV along the A13 towards London when he made the fatal manoeuvre. He moved into the middle lane without checking his mirrors, which caused the car behind him to swerve and knock Mr Sheikh’s vehicle into the central reservation near Ferry Lane in Rainham.
Last week at the Old Bailey, Smith admitted one count of causing death by careless driving and was warned by the judge that he could be sent to jail.
Mr Sheikh’s father Nasir Mahmood, 47, who runs a fruit and vegetable business at New Spitalfields Market in Leyton, said: “I hope it teaches him a lesson and next time he will be careful.
“Hassan was my son. He was a wonderful boy with lots of friends. He was just getting his degree that same month. Everybody loved him and he had a lot of friends. He was outgoing and had a great social life.
“He was looking forward to his future and creating business for the family. Anything you asked of him, he would do it. Everybody misses him.”
The victim’s younger brother Anwar Sheikh, an 18-year-old student, said Smith’s guilty plea could not make up for the family’s loss.
Older brother Muhammad Ali Sheikh, 25, added: “He should be taught a lesson and it should be a lesson to other drivers as well to be careful. We are upset. Hassan was in his third year at Middlesex University and he wanted to work in the family business. He wanted to help expand our fruit and veg business.”
Both Mr Sheikh and his passenger were thrown from the car in the crash, which happened shortly before 2pm on July 1 last year. Emergency services attended but Mr Sheikh was pronounced dead less than an hour later. His passenger broke his leg and pelvis. Smith, of King’s Cross, was yesterday bailed before sentencing on August 3. Judge Mark Lucraft QC said: “You’ve pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and the court may well pass a custodial sentence.”
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