A driver has been jailed for more than 10 years after hitting a pedestrian and sending him flying through a wall into a family’s home in London.
Ali Xhaferri, 43, was driving at almost 100mph on the A406 North Circular Road at Stonebridge, near Wembley, on 11 March 2022 when he lost control of his BMW.
He hit Ahmed Moneer, 37, who was walking along the pavement, throwing him through the wall of a nearby house – in front of a shocked family. Mr Moneer died instantly.
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Xhaferri’s passenger Dexter Charles, 53, was also seriously injured in the crash.
On Friday, Xhaferri was jailed for 10 years and six months for causing death by dangerous driving and three years and three months for causing serious injury, with the sentences to be served concurrently.
He was also banned from driving for 12 years and 11 months.
The stretch of road Xhaferri was speeding along had a 40mph speed limit, but he was driving between 70mph and 92mph when the incident happened, and the road was wet, prosecutor Amy Nicholson told the Old Bailey.
He lost control of the vehicle as he entered a left-hand bend and smashed through the wall of Gliece Rodrigues Peres’s house – where six other people were at the time.
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“Gliece Rodrigues Pires heard a very loud bang, turned and saw that the wall between the front bedroom and the living room was moving,” Ms Nicholson said.
“There was a lot of smoke and gas and dust. The defendant’s vehicle was in the front bedroom. A wall was gone.
“The defendant could be seen in the driver’s seat moving his hands as if trying to get an airbag from his face. Leila (occupant) discovered Mr Moneer’s body and went into shock.
“Gliece saw him and also went into shock. She shouted for someone to call the police and the family began to evacuate due to a strong smell of gas and fear there would be an explosion and/or the house would collapse.”
Paramedics were called to the scene but Mr Moneer was quickly declared dead.
The crash left Mr Charles with catastrophic injuries and long-term neurological damage.
False claims driver had been drinking
Xhaferri originally told police officers he had “had a few drinks”, namely three shots of brandy, but he was later found to be within the legal alcohol limit.
He was arrested on 12 March on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
A forensic collision investigative report concluded Xhaferri’s vehicle would not have been able to travel around the bend at the speed it was travelling – regardless of the weather conditions.
He had previous convictions, including dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop to provide a specimen, failing to stop, no insurance, and no licence.
Mr Moneer’s family were too traumatised to prepare a victim impact statement to the court, prosecutors said.
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