Driver Racing At 100mph Jailed For Deadly Crash

Two drivers have been jailed after a student was killed when one of the cars they were racing along a dual carriageway crashed into a bus stop and killed a student.

Sukvinder Mannan, from Halesowen, lost control of his Mitsubishi Evolution on a bend causing it to crash into a bus stop where Rebecca McManus, 21, was waiting with a friend to go to a friend’s hen night.

Ms McManus was killed and her friend suffered life-changing injuries.

Mannan was jailed for eight years after he admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was also disqualified from driving for 10 years and will be required to sit an extended retest before he is allowed behind the wheel again.

Wolverhampton businessman Inderjit Singh, 31, of Cranbourne Avenue, was cleared of causing death by dangerous driving after the week-long trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

But he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after racing in his BMW M3 and was sentenced to one year in prison.

Mannan reached speeds of more than 100mph in a 40mph zone just before the crash on the evening of 31 May last year.

Ms McManus, who had just finished a three-year English Literature degree at the University of East Anglia, was treated by paramedics but died at the scene.

Her friend, who was also 21 at the time, is still recovering.

Ms McManus’ family said: "There are no words that can convey the utter devastation we feel at the loss of our beautiful Rebecca.

"She was so full of life and looking forward to graduating from university to continue her life's journey.

"Our lives are empty without her and we are sentenced to a lifetime of pain and grief.

"We will never accept the not guilty verdict handed to Singh and the unacceptable message this sends out to those racing up and down the highways of the West Midlands.

"He played a part in the death of our beloved daughter as she would still be here if that race hadn't taken place."

"Neither is the motor industry without blame or shame. The constant marketing of performance cars in terms of speed and thrills with no acknowledgement to road safety or the Road Traffic Act is despicable. Performance cars have no place on the road."

Sergeant Paul Hughes, from West Midlands Police, said: "It was the senseless and reckless actions of two men that changed two families' lives forever."