Brothers jailed after man fatally hit by car at bus stop in Brierfield
57-year-old Alan Lee was sat at a bus stop on Colne Road when a car, which was attempting to overtake two vehicles, hit him
Two brothers have been jailed after a man was fatally hit by a car at a bus stop in Brierfield.
57-year-old Alan Lee was sat at a bus stop just before 8.30pm on 31st March 2024, when a car, which was attempting to overtake two vehicles, hit him.
He suffered fatal chest injuries and died in the back of an ambulance.
The man driving that car was Rizwan Mehdi, who fled the scene.
Ten minutes after the collision, Rizwan's brother, Kashif Mehdi, called the police reporting his car (the one that collided with Mr Lee) as stolen.
He claimed to have been chasing the car prior to the collision and was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
A day later, Rizwan admitted he was actually the one driving the car and was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
Kashif was released and went on to call his insurance company to make a claim for his car, still maintaining that is was stolen despite knowing his brother was driving the car.
Sgt Martin Wilcock said Kashif was attempting to cover his brother's tracks and make money out of the tragic incident.
He was later charged with perverting the course of public justice and fraud by false representation.
The sentences
Rizwan Mehdi, 36, now of no fixed address but formerly of Commercial Street, Brierfield, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
He's been jailed for six years and disqualified from driving for 10 years.
Kashif Mehdi, 42, now of no fixed address but formerly of Montcliffe Crescent, Manchester, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of public justice and fraud by false representation.
He's been jailed for 20 months.
'you know I love you'
In a victim impact statement to the court, Mr Lee’s dad wrote: “Alan only visited us the day before he died. He spent 4 and a half hours here talking, we cannot remember what we talked about but we are really glad we had this visit. His mum remembers as he was leaving he would always kiss her on the cheek and on that day his mum put her hands on his face and said 'you know I love you'. This is the last thing we ever said to him.
“Alan turned 57 years old the week before he died. In a strange set of coincidences Alan came into this world on Good Friday and left on Easter Monday.
“Alan loved nature and being outdoors. He was really well liked and well thought of within his circle of friends.
“Nothing can bring Alan back but maybe his death can mean something and contribute to society. If deterrence is an effective tool, maybe other families in the future could be spared the hurt and trauma that we have been through resulting from the illegal, irresponsible, dangerous and frequent misuse of high-performance vehicles within our area.
“Maybe that would be a small comfort to set against the loss of a son?”
"Rizwan Mehdi was using the streets of Nelson and Brierfield as his own personal racetrack"
Sgt Martin Wilcock, a Senior Investigating Officer in our Road Policing Unit, said: “This case is yet another tragic example of the consequences of driving high-powered vehicles dangerously and recklessly. Prior to the fatal incident, Rizwan Mehdi was using the streets of Nelson and Brierfield as his own personal racetrack, and it was ultimately an ill-judged, reckless manoeuvre which ultimately led to an entirely avoidable collision.
“As a result, Alan Lee tragically lost his life. And while paramedics were desperately working to try and save Alan’s life, the man responsible for his death fled the scene. He only identified himself as the driver the following day while his brother was sitting in a cell for the crime Rizwan had committed.
“Although not responsible for that crime, Kashif Mehdi did his best to cover his brother’s tracks, in an attempt to thwart our investigation and deny justice to Alan’s family. Firstly by calling the police to lie about his car being stolen, and then repeating that lie to his insurance company – despite Rizwan having already come forward – for his own financial gain.
“While nothing will ever bring Alan back, I would like to echo the words of his father in that hopefully his son’s death will make others think twice about driving dangerously in high-powered cars. As in this case, the results can have tragic consequences.
“Finally, I would like to praise the investigation team for the tenacity they have shown in getting justice for Alan’s family.”