Jail sentence for killer driver

A driver who ran over a two-year-old boy and drove off with him trapped under his car has been jailed for eight years for manslaughter.

Joshua Berrill died after he was struck by the Toyota MR2 in Alum Rock, Birmingham, in August 2004.

Mohammed Hussain, 22, of Saltley, Birmingham, denied the offence but was found guilty at an earlier hearing.

Birmingham Crown Court heard Joshua was dragged for 400yds (366m) and that Hussain knew he was under the car.

'Pain gets easier'

Hussain, of Highfield Road, was banned from driving for eight years.

Joshua had been out walking with his aunt Millie Robinson, then 13, along Burney Lane, when he ran out into the road.

Miss Robinson tried to rescue him, but was hit by the car herself.

David Jones, prosecuting, said: "He knew he had hit the child, he knew the child was still trapped underneath the car and he continued to drive."

Det Ch Insp Richard Youds, from West Midlands Police, said on Friday that the sentence "reflects the gravity of the offence".

He said: "Hussain deliberately misled the inquiry and blamed other people - this led to a protracted inquiry.

"Without the assistance of the community to the inquiry, it would have been much harder to bring Hussain to justice and conclude the investigation."

The boy's other aunt, Mitzie Robinson, said her family wanted young drivers to learn from the case.

She said last month: "I just think they should calm down.

"Imagine if you ran over your own nephew. What would you do then?"

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
West Midlands Police
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites