Learner driver killed 9 year old: Beatrice Mawamba who hit girl on FIRST lesson is jailed

December 22nd, 2011

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

By
Richard Hartley-parkinson

Last updated at 12:07 PM on 22nd December 2011

A learner driver who crashed and killed a nine-year-old girl while on her first driving lesson has today been jailed for two years.

Beatrice Mawamba, 34, panicked and careered down a narrow alleyway into a grassed courtyard while taking a lesson with her husband, Leeds Crown Court heard.

She crushed crushed nine-year-old Shamirah Grant to death and injured two other girls, one seriously, while driving on a provisional licence and having only done online theory lessons.

Shamira Grant was killed while playing with friends. Two others were injured

Beatrice Mawamba was jailed for two years for death by dangerous driving

Shamira Grant (left) was killed when she was crushed by a car being driven by learner driver Beatrice Mawamba (right)

Prosecuting, Michael Smith said: ‘The children describe playing in the early evening and saw a man and woman in a green Vauxhall car.

‘The man was giving some sort of instruction to the woman. The children heard the engine revving and saw it stutter and come flying down towards them fast.’

The vehicle was earlier described as ‘bunny hopping’ before Mawamba lost control and veered dangerously out of control, down the steps of a narrow alleyway and on to the grassed children’s play area near Leopold Grove in the Chapeltown area of Leeds.

‘The defendant described the car going very fast and her husband telling her to brake but she did not know how to. Her husband also tried to stop the car but couldn’t.

‘When challenged by the police she was unable to say which pedal was the brake,’ Mr Smith added.

The court heard she was not travelling at speed during the incident and had only managed to get into first gear.

Forgiveness: Shamirah Grant's parents, Gary and Jennifer, pictured arriving at court, said they appreciate their daughter's death was not intentional but that it has left a gaping hole in their hearts

Forgiveness: Shamirah Grant’s parents, Gary and Jennifer, pictured arriving at court, said they appreciate their daughter’s death was not intentional but that it has left a gaping hole in their hearts

Sentencing, Mr Justice Openshaw said Mawamba was ‘profoundly ignorant’ of the most basic driving skills.

He added: ‘It seems to me she was unaware of putting the car in gear. Having done so she was unable to disengage first gear.

‘She did not know how to apply the brake pedal; she could not find the brake pedal; she did not know where it was or what purpose it served.’

Mawamba covered her face as she arrived for sentencing at Leeds Crown Court today where she was jailed for two years

The judge said setting off driving when ‘so lacking the most basic driving skills’ amounted to a ‘thoughtless disregard for the safety of others’.

‘In my judgment a prison sentence is necessary to impress upon others that driving a car without having any idea how to control it is seriously anti-social and presents a substantial risk to the public and such behaviour must strongly be discouraged.’

Mawamba, a mother-of-three from Leopold Street, Chapeltown, Leeds, admitted causing death by dangerous driving in May this year.

She was banned from driving for five years and must take an extended test when her ban ends.

Graham Parkin, defending Mawamba, said his client was remorseful and remained ‘extremely distressed’ by the tragedy.

‘She wishes, of course, she could turn back the clock and that it never happened,’ he added.

The victim’s parents, Gary and Jennifer Grant, issued a statement following today’s sentencing.

It said: ‘As the parents of Shamirah Grant, we have forgiven those present in the vehicle which veered dangerously out of control from the car park down the steps of a narrow pedestrianised walkway into a grassed children’s play area, unfortunately killing our daughter and injuring two of her friends.

‘We appreciate that such a terrible event was not intentional. We have not sought to influence the sentencing of the court in any way and accept that the driver is sincerely remorseful, being a mother-of-three herself.

‘Nevertheless, Shamirah’s death has left a heart-rending gap within our family’s lives and, in a lasting legacy to her name, we intend to go forward positively by creating opportunities which will use performing arts, which was Shamirah’s passion, to empower young people educationally, and hopefully make a change in their lives.

‘Since Shamirah’s passing we have adopted the symbol of the butterfly which metamorphoses from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly, whose life although short-lived graces a summer’s day with her beautiful elegance.

‘So it’s hoped that through the spirit of our beautiful but short-lived daughter, we too can bring change for the better.’

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I disagree with calling any car related crash an “accident”. Often there are many ways in which crashes can be avoided.
As a learner, she should have been in a parking lot or country road far away from other drivers and people.

– jamminatorr, ontario, 22/12/2011 16:06

This was a terrible accident, and it seems unfair the new driver should have to serve a custodial sentence. Personally, I think manual cars should be fazed out for normal city driving…manual cars are much too complicated for hand/feet coordination which ruins driver concentration on the road. Especially in congested UK cities, automatic cars are better suited than manual cars and would be easier for new drivers to master while keeping safe on the roads. In the US, most drivers both male and female drive automatics and don’t know how to drive stick. Automatics are just a lot simpler and safer for the roads.

– GC, London, 22/12/2011 15:42

Some people are just not capable of driving regardless of how much time they spend behind a wheel. Period. She should accept the fact she has not been blessed with the necessary skills to operate a motor car. However she has not done anything wrong, she just happened to make a mistake in the wrong place at the wrong time. At the end of the day someone’s child has been taken from them. She has to live with that fact for the rest of her life. All the people saying it is too harsh or not harsh enough are not really stopping to think. The rules on learning to drive need to change to prevent absoulte beginners being allowed to drive on the public highway.
Finally, anyone who spelt “brake” as “break” should shut up, throw their computer away and go and hide in the corner.

– Chris Bruin, Bedfordshire, 22/12/2011 15:01

The same sentence given to a man who stole a vulnerable mans keys, phone, money and even bread and crutches leaving him for dead in the street. Justice? Not in the uk

– only my opinion, the land of free will, 22/12/2011 14:55

She’s 34 and obviously has waited along time to start driving. (No idea what parts of a vehicle do what). So, to make her serve 2 yrs is on the outside of reasoning–based on the Judge saying the sentence is to ward off others from doing the same stupid thing without proper preparation.

– LAKOTAHOPE, Virginia, United States, 22/12/2011 14:39

Both husband and wife are equally at fault. what were they doing on a highway if she didn’t even know how to stop the car

– Darrell, Swindon, 22/12/2011 14:34

I think both people are equally responsible here. the full license holder because he was the one tutoring his wife, but also his wife is equally responsible because she should have known not to go onto a public highway without being fully confident of knowing what she was doing.
Who gets in and drives a car if they dn’t know how to stop it…

– Darrell, Swindon, 22/12/2011 14:30

I have to agree with the people who think that jailing Mrs Mawamba is wrong. I don’t dispute the fact that her and her husband shouldn’t have been driving on a main road if she didn’t even know what the break was for or how to use it, but at the same time it was a very unfortunate accident.
Is it not enough for her to live with the knowledge for the rest of her life that she killed a little girl, which could’ve easily been her own in different circumstances? Surely a longer driving ban and something like community service would’ve been more appropriate? Sending her to prison doesn’t achieve anything.

– AA, London, 22/12/2011 14:20

i think that now with all the problems with road congestion and speed that all new drivers must go to a licenced instructer with dual control cars and have a minimum of 15 hourly lessons which must be logged in a book before they can go on the road with anyone else and after passing there test must carry plates on their vehicle saying provisional ie P for two years after i also think that this should apply to people who tow trailers or caravans as it also needs instuction on how to tow scenario now person passes test at 17 gets in a powerful vehicle towing a twin axled trailer or caravan does not bear thinking about

– abe, rushden northants, 22/12/2011 14:20

What?! A learner driver on their FIRST lesson panics and accidentally knocks someone down and then is JAILED?!
Whilst the outcome is utterly tragic, this was an ACCIDENT. No speeding, no alcohol/drugs, not driving while on a mobile- just a novice driver. If you’re going to hold someone responsible, surely it should be the full-licence holder who is taking the learner out.
I cannot see the difference between this case and that of the poor teenage girl who knocked down her mother while reversing into a parking space. How on Earth is justice served by jailing this hapless woman?
A very bad judgement IMO and a drink-driver would’ve got less.

– J Thompson, Bangor, 22/12/2011 14:11

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