Speeding driver jailed after hitting pedestrian who had to have leg amputated - The Stratford Observer

Speeding driver jailed after hitting pedestrian who had to have leg amputated

Stratford Editorial 18th Jun, 2020   0

A SPEEDING driver has been jailed after hitting a pedestrian who later had to have his leg amputated.

Kaleem Adlat, 23, of Lythalls Lane, Holbrooks and William McDonagh, 24, of Milverton Road, Coventry reached 70mph as they raced along Sky Blue Way.

It was then that ‘changed everything’ for Graham Stanley whose leg was so badly mangled when he was hit by Adlat’s car that it had to be amputated.

At Warwick Crown Court Adalat was jailed for 18 months and banned for three years nine months after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.




William McDonagh pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was jailed for 10 months and banned for 23 months.

Prosecutor Amrisha Parathalingam said the 14 November 2018 was ‘the day that changed everything’ for Mr Stanley, who had parked his lorry after finishing work and gone for a few pints with a friend in the Gosford pub in Coventry.


After leaving the pub he crossed Far Gosford Street to get to the pedestrian crossing on Sky Blue Way where, although the lights were on green, he could see nothing approaching so began to cross.

Miss Parathalingam said: “He recalls being hit to the right side of his stomach and feeling his left foot exploding.”

The cars were side-by-side at traffic lights and raced away when the lights changed, reaching more than 70mph as McDonagh sped ahead and pulled into the inside lane.

McDonagh and Adalat had been heading away from the city centre along Sky Blue Way.

They reached speeds of more than 70mph as they approached a roundabout close to where Mr Stanley was crossing.

Miss Parathalingam added: “Adalat did not see him until it was too late, and the nearside of his car collided with Mr Stanley.  He carried on, but then turned round at the roundabout and came back. His wing mirror was missing. He tested positive for cannabis.”

Mr Stanley had four operations on his leg and foot, which had been run over, but surgeons were unable to save the leg, and on November 23 it had to be amputated.

Adalat had no previous convictions, while McDonagh had convictions for 11 offences, but none for driving.

Gary Bell QC, for Adalat, conceded: “It is greatly excessive speed, a ridiculous speed for that road.  It’s a man testing his car’s speed against another car and coming up short.

“Because the other car was in the lead, when that car had vision of the victim crossing he was able to swerve out of the way, and it gave Mr Adalat not sufficient time to do so, and this terrible collision occurred.

“He is haunted by the consequences to the victim.”

Mr Bell said Adalat’s young brother suffers from cerebral palsy and is blind, and as the only adult man at the family home, he is responsible for ‘lifting and lugging him,’ and sleeps with him because he needs turning during the night.

Gerry Mohabir, for McDonagh, also argued for a suspended sentence, and said McDonagh, who had and adult passenger and a child in his car, was not aware of the collision, having passed the Adalat and reached the roundabout by the time it occurred.

Jailing the two men, Judge Peter Cooke said: “The two of you, for reasons that are not clear to anybody else, engaged, side-by-side initially, in a piece of very foolish driving.

“What you did over the next few seconds has had the most devastating effects on Graham Stanley.  Life-changing is not one word of exaggeration.

“Mr Adalat, you turned back.  That is to your credit, and you have expressed nothing but concern and remorse for the man you injured.  But it is a further aggravating feature of your case, however, that you had cannabis in your system.”

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