Two men guilty of mowing down teenager at 66mph as she walked to college

14 August 2023 , 12:55

1050 0

Alisha Goup (Image: GMP)

Two men have been found guilty of mowing down and killing 16-year-old Alisha Goup with a car as she walked to college.

The vehicle was being driven at 66mph in a 30mph zone shortly before the collision, on Rochdale Road in Oldham in February. The teen was hit by Omar Choudhury, 22, after he mounted the pavement. He had been trying to overtake a car on the wrong side of the road, before clipping another and losing control.

Shortly before the fatal collision, he had been pursued by Hamidur Rahman, 24, a member of his extended family who he had 'beef' with. The pair both admitted driving dangerously but denied causing the death of the teenager.

But following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court, both were convicted and now face prison sentences. Prosecutors said that Rahman blamed Choudhury for informing his family about a relationship he was having with a woman, which her family 'disapproved' of.

The pair, both driving BMWs, met in a chance encounter earlier on Chadderton Way on February 23. Rahman brandished a baseball bat and Choudhury then set off ‘like a rocket’.

Sherlock Holmes Museum boss wins fight to evict brother from home in 10-year row

Rahman was driving ‘aggressively’ and was ‘intent on pursuing him’, prosecutor Henry Blackshaw said. Witnesses who saw the cars speed by thought the cars were 'racing'.

Two men guilty of mowing down teenager at 66mph as she walked to college

Omar Choudhury struck the teen in his BMW (MEN Media)

Rahman turned off the road a few seconds before the collision, but the prosecution said he was just as guilty as Choudhury, because he'd made a ‘significant contribution’ to how Choudhury drove, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Alisha was pronounced dead at the scene following the collision, which occurred at about 1.30pm near the Royal Oldham Hospital. Choudhury told a police officer at the scene: “I was driving down the road and I was going too fast because I was trying to get away, because these men were chasing me with a knife, and now someone has punched me.”

A member of the public punched Choudhury following the collision. He claimed to have no memory of the crash after waking up in hospital following the incident, and was told he'd 'killed a 'girl'.

Hundreds of family, friends and local residents at a vigil to Alisha in Oldham (Men Media)

At their crown court trial, Choudhury and Rahman sought to blame each other. Choudhury told the jury that he'd 'driven like an idiot' because he was in a life threatening situation.

"I wasn’t racing, I was fighting for my life," he said. Rahman denied having any responsibility for the fatal crash, and said he'd turned off the road because he saw his co-defendant was driving in a 'horrendous' manner.

"I didn’t want to be involved in the situation no more," he said. "I think he had an adrenaline rush, and he was getting excited." But the jury unanimously found them both guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

A woman cries during the vigil (Manchester Evening News)

Choudhury, of Broadway, Oldham, and Rahman, of Tilbury Street, Oldham, will be sentenced on September 4. Anthony Stanway, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: “Hamidur Rahman and Omar Choudhury’s manner of driving was selfish and reckless. They put many lives at risk that day with the worst possible outcome, the death of a young girl who had her whole life ahead of her.

“Neither man took responsibility for their actions, putting Alisha’s family through the further trauma of a trial. Nothing can bring Alisha back, but I hope this conviction goes some way to comfort her family at this difficult time.”

“All drivers have a responsibility to drive safely, this case shows the devastating consequences of not doing so. We will robustly prosecute those who disregard the rules of the road and the safety of pedestrians and other road users.”