Speeding Leeds Uber taxi driver who hit and seriously injured drunk student on Woodhouse Lane is sentenced to a fine and six penalty points at Leeds Crown Court

An Uber taxi driver was speeding and playing music videos for passengers  when he struck a drunk student who ran into the path of his car in Leeds, a court heard.

The man suffered life-changing injuries after he was hit by the Toyota Uber taxi Ismael Moalim was driving on Woodhouse Lane, Woodhouse, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Father-of-nine Moalim was fined £187.50 plus £85 prosecution costs and had six penalty points added to his licence after he admitted driving without due care and attention on Saturday March 2 2019

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Prosecutors offered no evidence on a charge of causing serious injury by dangerous driving before Judge Mushtaq Khokar recorded a formal verdict of not guilty to that charge.

Woodhouse Lane LeedsWoodhouse Lane Leeds
Woodhouse Lane Leeds

Adam Walker, prosecuting, said Moalim had collected customers from a nightclub and was driving them towards Headingley along the dual carriageway section of Woodhouse Lane

Mr Walker said: "They say he was impatient and driving too quickly in excess of the speed limit. He was playing YouTube videos on the dashboard mounted video camera.

"He accepted they were being played at the request of his customers. The crown say the music videos must have been an unnecessary distraction to his driving."

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Mr Walker said the student said in his witness statement he was as 'drunk as he had ever been'.

Mr Walker said: "He vaulted the central barrier and ran across the road into the path of Mr Moalim's Uber taxi. Due to the manner of his driving, he failed to see him in time and collided with him."

Mr Walker said CCTV footage shows the student running directly into the car's path.

The man was taken to Leeds General Infirmary and was found to have suffered a significant brain injury and a fractured knee and elbow,"

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He spent 12 days in intensive care and around eight weeks in hospital and had to learn to walk again.

Glenn Parsons, mitigating, said: "He (the student) was very frank that on the night he was the drunkest he had ever been. He had no recollection of what took him out over Woodhouse Moor.

"It's clear from the footage he simply launches himself across those carriageways."

He said Moalim had been a taxi driver for several years and has nine children aged from four months to 17-years-old.

Mr Parsons said Moalim is now working as a delivery driver.

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Sentencing Moalim, Judge Khokar said: "You at the time were driving the car at a greater speed than was permitted for that particular road. That is not denied and on and top of that you were playing music videos."

Judge Khokar added: "It was partially his fault, one can't get away from that and that is the very reason why you were charged with this particular offence.

"Had there been greater culpability on your part, I have no doubt the prosecution would have proceeded with the original charge which they had laid against you."