Driver veered into wrong lane and crashed headlong into car which killed beloved grandma near Stansted Airport

A beloved Essex grandma was killed in a head-on crash after a driver veered into the wrong side of the road near Stansted Airport. Naeem Shahani said he has felt the "horror" of his actions every day for more than two years since he killed 84-year-old Phyllis Willis in the crash in Takeley in September 2022.

Mrs Willis had been the passenger of the vehicle being driven by her friend Lynn Smith, who was taking her back to a bus stop after they had spent the day together shopping. As they were driving on Parsonage Road in the village in the afternoon of September 26, Shahani crashed straight into their vehicle after the Range Rover he was driving veered into their lane.

Ms Smith was severely injured in the crash while Mrs Willis sustained critical injuries and despite the best efforts of everyone who tried to help her, she died at the scene. Following a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, Shahani, 39, of Sheppey Road, Dagenham, was found guilty of causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.

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At his sentencing hearing at the same court today (November 28), it was heard that Shahani worked for a company that transported and looked after vehicles of people using Stansted Airport. Judge Christopher Morgan told the court that while the true reason for Shahani veering into the opposite lane will only be known by him, he believed he could have "overcorrected" from possible contact with the verge and swerved into the path of Mrs Smith's car.

The court heard Shahani had not been drinking nor had he taken any drugs before driving, and he was within the speed limit for the road. Prosecuting, Nick Wayne said: "[The car] came towards Mrs Smith and she instinctively tried to steer her vehicle to the left to avoid a collision. Sadly, it was in vein and there was a head-on crash."

Mr Wayne said multiple people using the road at the time rushed to help and phoned the emergency services, but Mrs Willis could not be saved. Mr Wayne read a victim impact statement from Nigel Willis, one of Mrs Willis' children, on behalf of her family.

He said: "Our family are devastated by the sudden and unexpected death of our mother. Two years have passed since her untimely death, where not a day goes by where we don't think and feel the pain, sorrow and even anger at her death. Despite being in her 80s, she was still very active and going out most days, whether it was going to the shops or out with her sons, grandchildren and friends.

"She dedicated her life to doing anything she could for her sons. There are no adequate words for comfort that can take away the pain for what her family have felt since the day of her death." Mr Willis said many members of the family had been severely impacted by the trial and having to relive the last day of Mrs Willis' life.

In another victim impact statement, Lynn Smith shared the crash had a "devastating" impact on her life, saying it was "frightening" to have her friend die next to her, and she was "distressed" that she couldn't help her. Ms Smith has since been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and for a long time struggled to leave her home.

Mitigating, Peter Hunter apologised on behalf of Shahani to Mrs Willis' family, saying he had experienced the "horror" of the crash every day since. Mr Hunter said Shahani had no previous convictions and that he had previously been "hard working and reliable". He said: "He has travel anxiety and he can't travel as a passenger in the car. It will never leave him. He will always see it for every day for the rest of his life."

Judge Morgan acknowledged that Mrs Willis was "very, very deeply loved" by her whole family and no sentence he passed would bring her back. He jailed Shahani for a total of 28 months and disqualified him from driving for six years and two months.