Girl dies in road accident as dad speeds to get her to Maths lesson

A dad whose nine-year-old daughter died in a road accident as he drove her to a Maths lesson has been jailed for four years.

Chizoro Edohasim, 47, tried to get Olivia and her 11-year old sister Eva to their private tutor.

The convicted man, a doctor, screamed and struggled with police on Friday after being convicted of causing the death of nine-year-old Olivia by dangerous driving.

Edohasim screamed: ”We have lost our daughter. This is not justice — it is so harsh” to his wife Bethel, as she wept in the public gallery at Minshull Street Crown Court today.

The court heard that Edohasim was seen ”zig-zagging” in-between traffic and overtaking two cars on the wrong side of the road as he moved at high speed and in an uncontrolled manner through Altrincham, Greater Manchester, in May 2016.

Tragedy struck moments later when his Toyota Auris accelerated through a red traffic light and ploughed into a wall outside a block of flats without the brakes being applied.

During his trial, the medical researcher wept as footage of the horror was played to the jury.

He shouted from the dock: “Why did this happen to me and my family? My family, my daughter, where are you?”

Edohasim, who specialises in treating patients with addictions, admitted he was wearing a pair of slippers at the time of the crash, but he said it was unlikely his footwear played any part in the incident.

He told the court on Friday (today): ”The burden is on me every day. Every moment of my life, this was a child who is very close to me. Very very close to me.

“She has my mannerisms and was a bundle of joy. I’m a tormented soul.”

The court heard he had been driving “like a lunatic” to get his daughters to their Maths lesson on time after previously receiving a warning about punctuality.

Olivia, who was sitting in the back seat with her seat belt on, suffered fatal back injuries in the 59mph smash, which was described by one witness as ”like a bomb going off.”

She, sadly, died at the scene, while sister Eva underwent emergency surgery for serious stomach injuries

Edohasim later claimed the brakes on his car failed despite police forensic vehicle examiners saying there were no mechanical faults in the two-year-old Toyota Auris.

Tests showed the car was travelling at 48mph six seconds from the impact, yet accelerated to up to 67mph just one second from when the vehicle ploughed into the wall.

It only lost speed when it hit a kerb before the wall, causing one of the wheels to spin freely.

Sentencing, Judge Stuart Driver QC told Edohasim: ”’You are still suffering the physical, emotional and psychological effects of that day, and prison would be particularly difficult for you.

”There is a grave aggravating feature, but I accept your conviction will have a significant impact on your career.

“Finally and most importantly, there is the fact that the deceased was your own child.

“I accept that you were a loving father and this will make a significant difference to sentencing because you are a man who will carry with you the burden of what you have done for the rest of your life.”

When quizzed at hospital, Edohasim told police: “I was saving lives as a doctor and trying hard to be a good citizen and give my children a good childhood. This is how the devil got me back.”

Sgt. Brian Orr of Greater Manchester Police said: “This was a very tragic case, this family have been ripped apart by the stupidity of their father and his little girl has lost her life due to his dangerous driving.

“He will have to live with that guilt for the rest of his life, knowing that he killed his own daughter. There really are no winners in this case.

“Prison is the lesser of the punishments that Edohasim will suffer. This tragic incident shows that we will always bring those who gamble with peoples’ lives by driving dangerously, to justice.”

(SUN)