Driver whose electric car 'accelerated on its own' cleared of killing boy, 5, in south London

"Previously, the court had heard the minicab driver had picked up his younger son from school on the afternoon of November 25. He stopped his leased Volkswagen ID.4 in the car park outside his flat in Borough, south London, and waited for a parking space to become free. The young boys had been playing nearby and Demissie had offered Fareed a lollipop before the vehicle suddenly moved forward, hitting them and crashing into five parked cars."

"In a police interview, the defendant said: "Suddenly the car jumped. I believe the car jumped because Fareed triggered the sensor. I had never had any mechanical problems with the car before. "Just like a moment of madness. I don't know what happened exactly. I tried to brake. It was like too late. It was just like a moment, second, whoosh and jump.""

An electric vehicle driver said his car moved on its own and knocked over a five-year-old neighbour, who later died. A prosecution crash expert attributed the impact to inadvertent accelerator depression. A jury deliberated five hours and acquitted the driver of causing death and serious injury by careless driving. After the verdict the tearful defendant dropped to his knees and prayed. Jurors were not told that publicity prompted about a dozen EV drivers to contact lawyers with concerns, including some driving the same model. The collision left the defendant's son with multiple lower-limb fractures and was witnessed by the boys' mothers.

Read at www.standard.co.uk