A driver who admitted killing three teenage boys due to his dangerous driving was sentenced to 13 years in prison at the Old Bailey on Wednesday.
Jaynesh Chudasama, of Hayes, west London, was more than two-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit and doing 71 mph on a 60 mph road when he mounted the pavement and ploughed into the victims, the court heard.
The 28-year-old car hire worker, who also had traces of cannabis in his system, lost control of his black Audi A5 as he overtook another vehicle and struck a group of eight friends who were walking past a bus stop on Shepiston Lane, Hayes on 26 January.
Harry Louis Rice, 17, George Toby Wilkinson, 16, and Josh McGuinness, 16, who were on their way to a 16th birthday party, were fatally injured in the crash, the court heard.
Chudasama pleaded guilty to three counts of causing death by dangerous driving at the Old Bailey on 26 February.
In sentencing, Judge Wendy Joseph QC said: “It is obvious that nothing any court can do can measure the loss of Josh, Harry and George for the obvious reason that their loss is immeasurable.”
She handed down three 13-year prison sentences to be served concurrently.
“Rot in hell”
Emotions ran high in the courtroom as the families read out harrowing victim impact statements before sentencing.
Sarah Baker, mother of apprentice electrician George Wilkinson, described her son as “a happy, cheeky boy”.
She added: “That awful night my son was taken from me will stay with me and haunt me for the rest of my life.”
During the trial, the court heard how Chudasama got out of the vehicle following the crash and attempted to flee the scene before being pursued and detained by two of the boys’ friends.
Tracy Blackwell, mother of labourer Joe McGuiness, asked the court to make an example of the convicted driver and added “he chose to run away like a coward”.
After finishing her statement, Blackwell told Chudasama he would “rot in hell” as he sat with his head bowed in the dock.
Ian Rice, father of semi-professional footballer Harry Rice, said his son had been “cruelly taken from him” when Chudasama “mowed down three innocent boys” and added the death toll could have been as high as eight.
The judge also acknowledged this in her sentencing remarks.
Chudasama “wishes it was him that died instead of the three boys”
Family and friends protested outside the Old Bailey demanding a tougher sentence with placards reading ‘Justice for our boys’ along with photos of the victims.
The maximum prison sentence for causing death by dangerous driving is currently 14 years.
Prosecutor Crispin Aylett QC asked the judge to consider consecutive sentences to reflect the seriousness of the crime.
In mitigation, the defence said that the convicted driver had shown remorse and told the court he has repeatedly said he “wishes it was him that died instead of the three boys”.
The court also heard that Chudasama had previously been cautioned for possession of cannabis and convicted of battery in 2013.
