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Driver with 25 points on licence not banned before fatal crash

A motorist who killed a man in a crash was able to drive with 25 points on his licence because of “human error and process issues”.

Ivan Girga, 26, was going at least 55mph in a 20mph zone before the collision with another vehicle which killed 42-year-old Ghusanfar Ilyas in Crumpsall, Manchester.

Girga jumped out of his Volkswagen Golf and fled the scene with his three-year-old son and left six injured people in a Vauxhall Zafira in his wake.

All those injured needed hospital treatment, including a 13-year-old boy who was critically hurt and Mr Ilyas, who later died.

Girga initially claimed he was not the driver at the time of the incident on June 5 before he later admitted causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving, failing to stop or report a collision and having no insurance.

When he was jailed for nine years at Manchester Crown Court, it emerged Girga, of Wigan Road, Bolton, had the excessive number of points on his licence for driving without a licence and no insurance but was not disqualified at the time of the fatal collision.

It is understood that Girga’s driving matters had previously been dealt with under the single justice procedure in which cases are dealt with by a single magistrate and a trained legal adviser sitting on the papers with no prosecutor or defendant present.

An HM Courts and Tribunals Service spokesman said: “Our thoughts are with the victims and their families.

“An urgent investigation was carried out as soon as the issue came to light, which found a combination of human error and process issues for which we apologise.

“Immediate action has been taken to prevent this from happening again, including appropriate disciplinary action, improved training and support for new staff, improved guidance around the use of IT systems and ensuring potential driver disqualification cases are listed in court urgently.

“Discussions will continue to consider further improvements.”

Following sentencing, Pc Suzanne Keenan, of Greater Manchester Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said: “Girga drove with no insurance and took the most catastrophic of risks when he decided to go behind the wheel – he is now behind bars.

“With this in mind, I would make a direct appeal to those road users who see no issue in driving without insurance, driving whilst distracted, driving in excess of the speed limit and driving dangerously. You are not above the law and your reckless actions have consequences.”