Grieving mum's tears for 'perfect son' who never met his little brother

Ben Perrin

8 June 2024 at 10:18 am·2-min read

A Birmingham mum said she missed her 'best friend' son every day as she spoke on the first anniversary of his death. Azaan Khan, 12, was riding his bike when he was hit by a car in South Yardley on June 8 last year.

The schoolboy had been to a shop with two friends and was crossing Coventry Road when the tragedy happened. Despite a blood transfusion and critical care Azaan died at the scene following the crash near Kings Road.

Speaking for the first time, his mum Zoe Homer, who was heavily pregnant at the time, said Azaan was "funny and clever" and dreamt of becoming a paramedic.

Zoe, aged 32 and from Yardley, told BirminghamLive: "He was just like my best friend. He was funny, clever and top set for everything at school. He was perfect. He wanted to be a paramedic when he was older. He was born on Valentine's Day. He was everything you wanted him to be.

"I miss him and think about him every day. I had a little son Rocco, born three weeks after the incident, and Azaan never met him. I've never been back to the scene since it happened."

Recalling the heartbreaking events of last year, Zoe said: "His two friends knocked the door to say Azaan had been hit by a car minutes after it happened. I was 35-weeks pregnant at the time, so I didn't think it was going to be as bad as it was. I thought it was a broken leg and didn't know how I was going to look after him when I was due to give birth.

"When I got there, they (the emergency services) said he was really unwell. It was only at the bottom of the road. He had a blood transfusion at the scene and they had advanced medical support and critical care there. But there was nothing they could do. He was pronounced dead at the scene and they moved him to Heartlands."

West Midlands Police confirmed Shazad Alam, 33, from Birmingham, had been charged with causing death by dangerous driving in relation to the crash. A trial at Birmingham Crown Court is due to start next February.

Azaan dreamt of becoming a paramedic when he was older -Credit:Zoe Homer

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