Reckless driver killed grandfather after crashing souped-up rally car at 'insane speeds'
A RECKLESS motorist with no licence or insurance has been jailed for killing a church-going great-grandfather after he crashed his souped-up rally car at "insane speeds".
Edward Harris, 85, had just dropped off his daughter and gave her a final kiss goodbye when Kamran Raja, 37, ploughed into his vehicle on April 2 last year.
The personal trainer had been driving along a busy 40mph dual carriageway at almost 80mph in his high-performance Audi Quattro S4.
The four-litre motor, which had its roof down, smashed into Mr Harris' Honda Jazz as he was on his way home from church on the A4123 in Warley, West Midlands.
A court heard both cars were lifted off the road and the Honda was propelled almost 100 feet down the street.
This was motorway speeds on a residential road
Prosecutor Antonie Muller said: "This was motorway speeds on a residential road."
Mr Harris, who lived nearby, was able to walk from his car but died the following day at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital after suffering multiple organ failure.
Raja, of Acocks Green, Birmingham, had denied causing death by dangerous driving and went on trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
But after changing his plea on Wednesday he was jailed for 10 years and banned from driving for five years.
Sentencing, Judge Simon Ward, said: "Your driving was incredibly dangerous.
"The Wolverhampton Road is one of the busiest arterial routes through the Black Country.
"The central reservation is criss-crossed with gaps for cars to cross. Anyone who drives it knows cars need to slow down and stop and they will turn across the carriageway.
"There are traffic lights, schools, buses and houses. None of that mattered to you in the slightest.
"Your driving record before this is appalling. It shows you are a selfish man.
"You drive fast cars, because you want to, with no insurance and no licence, and at insane speeds."
Mr Harris's daughter Annette Hall, who had been to Our Lady and St Hubert's church with him the day of the crash, said his heart had been "as big as an ocean."
She added: "He was a gift beyond compare. We never had a chance to say goodbye and to thank him."
The court heard the dad-of-four had a long record of previous driving offences for which he had spent some time behind bars, including lying to police about his identity.
He was employed as a personal trainer and worked at three gyms in Birmingham.
Graeme Simpson, defending, said his client was full of remorse for his actions and had been "devastated" by what he did.