University student who caused brutal crash with Uber driver and left his friend with brain damage before attempting to flee country is jailed for four years

• Riffat Hossen ploughed into the private hire in the early hours of May 6 this year
• He left his friend as well as the driver with serious injuries but fled the scene

A university student who caused a horror crash with an Uber driver and later caught being driven to the airport by his dad as he attempted to flee the country has been sentences to four years in jail.

Riffat Hossen ploughed into the private hire as it was performing a three-point turn in Erdington around 4.15am on May 6 this year.

The 23-year-old was behind the wheel of his cousin’s Volkwagen Golf, despite being banned from driving, and hit speeds of up to 87mph on the 30mph Gravelly Hill North moments before the crash. 

He then ran off leaving his passengers behind including one friend who was knocked out and suffered brain damage.

The Uber driver was also badly injured in the crash. 

Hossen, of Brookvale Road, Erdington, was arrested on the M40 the next day on the way to Heathrow Airport where he had booked a flight to Bangladesh.

Riffat Hossen ploughed into the private hire as it was performing a three-point turn in Erdington around 4.15am on May 6 this year

He went on to admit two charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving without insurance, failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident. 

At Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, September 28 he was jailed for four years as well as banned from driving for seven years.

Judge Paul Farrer Kc described the incident as an ‘appalling piece of driving’ and stated Hossen had a ‘complete disregard’ for other road users. 

The Uber driver had just dropped off his passenger and was turning around at the junction with Wheelwright Road when the collision occurred.

Prosecutor Nicholas Berry told the court that further down the road was a black cab followed by Hossen in the Golf. 

He said: ‘The defendant approached the black cab at speed and overtook it, entering the opposite carriageway, crossing a Pelican crossing with ”Don’t cross” markings and driving to the right of a small central reservation with ”Keep left” bollards as he did so.’

Hossen collided with the driver’s side of the Uber vehicle. He, along with the four passengers in the car, had been to Birmingham city centre for the night celebrating a birthday. 

The court was told Hossen was asked to drive because the owner of the Golf, his cousin, was too intoxicated.

Mr Berry stated one of the passengers told the defendant to slow down ‘on at least two occasions’ and even tried to pull the handbrake up to prevent the collision. Hossen was the only one to flee the scene.

One of his friends in the rear seat was knocked unconscious and suffered a fractured skull. He was placed into an induced coma and remained in intensive care for two weeks.

While the Uber driver had to be cut free by firefighters and suffered a broken shoulder. He was signed off work for at least six months.

A collision investigation concluded Hossen was driving between 80.4mph and 87.4mph moments before the crash. 

Mr Berry added: ‘The defendant was arrested the following day by Thames Valley Police on the M40 on the way to London Heathrow. He had his passport, bag and a flight to Bangladesh.’

Judge Farrer asked if the defendant was driving at the time officers stopped the car but it was confirmed it was his father who was behind the wheel. Hossen had been disqualified from driving in February for an offence of driving with excess alcohol.

Jonathan Barker, defending, told the court that he had started a degree at the University of Warwick last year and that his criminal law tutor had attended to support him. 

He said: ‘It is accepted the defendant panicked and fled the scene. That is a sign of immaturity and his inability to deal with what was becoming an extremely serious situation at the time.

‘He is genuinely remorseful. The references from his father and his tutor describe him as a good person, helpful, family-orientated with a bright future.’

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