Driver cleared of killing boy, 5, when car moved

"The Old Bailey heard an expert for the prosecution put the crash down to Demissie inadvertently pressing the accelerator pedal himself. However, the defendant said the car had moved forward by itself, possibly because of a software malfunction. Getty Images Metropolitan Police traffic collision investigator Mark Still told jurors he was "unable to find any defect that contributed to the collision and unable to make the car accelerate without the driver driving". But under cross-examination, he said that he was not a computer expert nor a software engineer."

"Jurors were not told that as a result of publicity, a dozen EV drivers got in touch with case lawyers to report concerns about their cars, including some with the same model that Demissie had. They deliberated for five hours before finding Demissie not guilty of causing death and serious injury by careless driving. After leaving the dock, the tearful defendant dropped to his knees and prayed before leaving court. Getty Images Demissie, a minicab driver had picked up his younger son from school on the afternoon of 25 November and stopped his leased car outside his flat in Borough, south London, while he waited for a parking space to become free."

"The boys had been playing nearby when the vehicle suddenly moved forward, hitting them and crashing into five parked cars. Fareed died from his injuries and the defendant's son suffered several fractures to his lower limbs in the crash, which was witnessed by the boys' mothers."

A 53-year-old minicab driver, Ashenafei Demissie, was involved in a fatal incident when his leased Volkswagen ID.4 suddenly accelerated on 25 November, killing five-year-old Fareed Amir and severely injuring Demissie’s 12-year-old son. Prosecution evidence attributed the crash to the driver inadvertently pressing the accelerator, while the defendant maintained the vehicle moved on its own, possibly due to a software malfunction. A Metropolitan Police investigator said he found no defect but acknowledged lacking computer or software expertise. Jurors were not informed that around a dozen other EV drivers reported concerns after publicity. The jury acquitted Demissie after five hours of deliberation.

Read at www.bbc.com