Man jailed for hit-and-run collision as pregnant care home worker lost baby
Ashir Shahid admitted causing death by dangerous driving
Last updated 15th Aug 2025
A man has been sentenced to 13 years in jail after admitting causing the death of a baby by dangerous driving in Lancashire
It's after a care home worker who was five months pregnant lost her unborn baby boy after she was "thrown into the air" by a hit-and-run collision, a court heard.
Renju Joseph was struck by a car driven at high speed by 20-year-old Ashir Shahid as she walked on a pedestrian crossing in the village of Bamber Bridge, near Preston
The Toyota Prius was estimated to be travelling at between 58mph and 71mph in wet conditions in a 30mph zone, Preston Crown Court heard.
Mrs Joseph was rushed to hospital from the scene in Station Road in the early evening of September 29 last year for treatment to head and spinal injuries.
Prosecutor Emma Keogh said:
"It also became apparent that the life of her unborn child was in severe jeopardy.
"An emergency C-section had to be carried out in an attempt to save the unborn child's life. The placenta had ruptured and Mrs Joseph had bled quite heavily.
"Her child was born that evening but sadly he only survived for a few hours before passing away.
"This was her very first pregnancy with her husband who she married about five years earlier. This was a planned pregnancy and very much wanted."
Video clips recovered from the mobile phone of his front seat passenger show the pair laughing and singing to music as the car is driven erratically and at speed.
The passenger is also seen to put his feet out of the window while the driver removes both hands from the wheel at times.
Minutes after the collision the Toyota was abandoned in the nearby village of Lostock Hall before it was later moved on to a flatbed truck and driven to Farnworth, Greater Manchester, where it was found days later by police.
Shahid was arrested at an address in Kirkham after he had spent several days lying low at a friend's house in Accrington.
He made no comment when interviewed but when his phone was examined it revealed that on the night of the collision he made an online search for "charge for hit and run human".
A video clip on his Snapchat account showed him singing along to the Shaggy song It Wasn't Me and laughing.
Shahid, of Windsor Road, Walton le Dale, Preston, pleaded guilty in June to causing the death of Mrs Joseph's baby Olive by dangerous driving.
He also admitted causing serious injury to Mrs Joseph by dangerous driving.
17-year-old Sam Shahid, who is Ashir's brother, and who we can now name after reporting restrictions were lifted by the judge, pleaded guilty to assisting an offender.
He was sentenced to three years in detention.
Det Chief Insp Andy Fallows, from Lancashire Police's Major Investigation Team, said:
“My thoughts first and foremost today are with Renju and family. They have been through the most appalling ordeal and my heart goes out to them. They have shown the most incredible dignity and courage since this tragic collision and throughout these proceedings.
“In contrast Ashir Shahid and his co-defendant have shown nothing but arrogance and a lack of remorse for what they have done. Not only did they fail to stop after the collision, but they did all they could to try and escape detection.
“The manner of Shahid’s driving on that tragic evening was truly appalling with a complete disregard for pedestrians and other road users and his dangerous actions have very sadly cost the life of a little boy and left his mother with some serious and life changing physical injuries and the unimaginable pain of losing a child.
“I hope that today’s sentences will give these two defendants some time to reflect on the devastating impact of what they have done and will give others who may be tempted to drive in this way pause for thought and to think twice before they get behind the wheel.