A driver who was speeding at around twice the 30mph limit when he hit and killed a cyclist — sending the victim flying 100ft through the air, before fleeing the scene and leaving the country the next day — has been jailed for six years.
Kashif Khan killed Andell Goulbourne on Washwood Heath Road in Saltley, in Birmingham, back in July 2020 but was only arrested this summer when he returned to the UK four years later.
Having pleaded guilty to causing the death of Mr Goulbourne by dangerous driving, a death which the family says has left a "huge void in many people's lives", Khan was sentenced to six years in jail by a judge at Birmingham Crown Court and has also been banned from driving for almost 13 years.
The Telegraph suggested that Khan, now 28, had been driving at around twice the 30mph speed limit when he hit Mr Goulbourne, sending him "flying 100ft through the air", shocking footage of the incident being shared with the family's permission during the appeal.
WARNING: Viewer discretion advised
WARNING | This footage shows the moment a cyclist was struck and killed by a car.
The family of Andell Goulbourne today made this emotional plea for the public's help as detectives continue to hunt for the driver who struck and killed him in #Birmingham. pic.twitter.com/4myRgQ17YJ
— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) September 24, 2020
The paper also reports that Khan had started a new life in Pakistan in the four years since, where he reportedly worked as a taxi driver, West Midlands Police confirming that he was "immediately arrested" as he re-entered the country on July 2 this year.
Father of three Mr Goulbourne, fondly known as Spring-i, was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision at around 11.30pm on Thursday 30 July 2020, police officers arriving at the site to find that, despite just a matter of minutes having passed, Khan had already fled the scene on foot.
While the police attempted to establish who was driving the vehicle, Khan bought a one-way flight to Dubai the next day and flew out of the country four hours later. Police were ultimately able to establish he was the driver responsible for Mr Goulbourne's death, fingerprints from a drinks can in the car and a discarded receipt used to identify the hit-and-run driver.
Forensics experts also confirmed a DNA match from a straw in the drinks can and he was jailed for six years at the end of last week.
While Det Sgt Paul Hughes from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at West Midlands Police said he hopes the sentence "brings some comfort" to the bereaved, Mr Goulbourne's family said the death of a father of three, grandfather, great-grandfather and brother had left a "huge void in many people's lives".
Calling him a "kind and generous individual" and a "beacon of light" who was "a mentor to many young people", the family added that he "always sought to serve those less fortunate", something demonstrated by his volunteer charity work.
"Our lives changed forever upon hearing the news that our dad had passed away, and losing such a significant loved one left us in total disbelief with feelings of unbearable grief," the family's statement explained.
"We will always feel the pain of losing someone so treasured as our dad, however here we are today when despite our anguish we stand to be given some sort of justice and closure."
Det Sgt Hughes also commented and called Khan's actions "callous" and the behaviour of someone "more concerned about trying to evade responsibility for his actions than try to help man he'd hit".
"He went so far as to leave the country within hours of this awful collision and remained away for years, but as soon as he tried to come back we were ready and able to bring him before the courts and see him admit the charge," he said.