Sharuyan Sasikumar who had been drinking whisky lost control of his car at 82mph in a 30mph zone, causing a crash that killed his friend and led to an eight-year jail sentence.
A drink-driver who pushed his car to dangerous speeds has been jailed after a crash that killed his friend.
Sharuyan Sasikumar had been drinking whisky before offering to drive two friends to a viewpoint overlooking Stoke-on-Trent on the night of September 25 last year. The outward journey was uneventful, but on the return trip the 23-year-old began accelerating in an attempt to reach 90mph, reports StokeOnTrentLive.
When the speedometer hit 82mph, he lost control. His Toyota Icon left the road on High Street in Knutton, went onto the pavement, struck a lamppost, and then smashed into railings outside Newcastle Children’s Centre.
The force of the impact caused the railings to spear into the back of the vehicle, fatally injuring 32-year-old passenger Shejuti Pasha. She was taken to hospital but could not be saved.
Police arrested Sasikumar at the scene. He was unsteady and admitted driving. A breath test later recorded 59 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath — well above the legal limit of 35.
Sasikumar has now been sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court to eight years in prison and disqualified from driving for 11 years and four months. He will also be required to take an extended driving test before getting his licence back.
Prosecutor Tom Kenning told the court that the three friends had lived together previously in Newcastle-under-Lyme and remained close even after Sasikumar moved elsewhere. Shejuti was studying for a Master’s degree at Keele University.
On the evening of the crash, the group had been drinking while watching television. Although Shejuti drank very little, Sasikumar took whisky along in the car. Witnesses later described the vehicle travelling “far too fast”, with the engine noise “like an aeroplane”.
In an interview, Sasikumar claimed he had consumed only one shot of whisky. A collision report confirmed he reached 82mph shortly before the impact.
Defence barrister Stuart Muldoon said his client accepted full responsibility, describing the case as “very, very sad”. He highlighted Sasikumar’s lack of previous convictions, his remorse, and the fact he had only been driving the car for a few weeks.
Passing sentence, Judge Richard McConaghy said: “The stark truth is you were driving in a highly dangerous manner and you lost control of the vehicle. It was a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road.”
