Student who killed university lecturer after running red light while speeding avoids jail

A student who killed a university lecturer after running a red light while speeding has avoided jail.

Sabir Sharif, 22, had been driving at 50mph in a 20mph zone before hitting 36-year-old Laura Ford, a law lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University. She had been attending her department’s Law Ball function, when she was hit on Higher Cambridge Street in Hulme near the university.

Manchester Crown Court heard that prior to the horror crash, Sharif had driven through a red light at 50mph as Ms Ford planned to cross the road ahead. As she crossed, Sharif braked and reduced his speed to 35mph, but it was not enough to avoid crashing into her.

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“Had you been driving at an appropriate speed, had you not decided to run that red light, she would have had ample time to make her crossing,” Judge Sarah Johnston told him. Sharif previously stood trial accused of causing death by dangerous driving, and was acquitted by a jury.

He had already admitted the less serious offence of causing death by careless driving, and has now been handed an 18 month suspended prison sentence. Ms Ford’s family told of their ‘despair’ at her loss, as about a dozen friends and family attended court, including her fiancé.

The judge said of Ms Ford: “What is abundantly clear is that she was a deeply caring and passionate individual. She was a light in the lives of those who knew her.

“Her death has caused despair to her friends and family. No sentence will alleviate their overwhelming grief.”

Prosecuting, Brian Treadwell told how the crash happened just before 1am on May 1, 2022. He said that Ms Ford was ‘thrown into the air’ and fatally injured.

Sharif, formerly an