Killer cabbie jailed for leaving elderly woman to die in hit and run
A taxi driver who hit an elderly woman and then left her to die on a Sydney highway has been jailed for 18 months.
A Sydney court was shown vision from inside driver Mohammad "Mark" Farhad’s taxi, just moments after he struck 94-year-old Suzanne King on the Pacific Highway at Crows Nest in August last year.
Farhad was seen to look in his rear vision mirror, briefly stop and then speed away from the scene before continuing to work for six hours.
“We all appreciate that accidents happen... but to leave my aunt dying on the road is without comprehension,” Mrs King’s nephew David Cooper said in his victim impact statement.
"How could another human being do this?"
Mrs King’s family rejected claims Farhad was remorseful, telling the court the 52-year-old’s actions had caused them a great deal of pain.
“That doesn’t sound like a person that’s remorseful,” Mr Cooper said.
“We’ve not seen [any remorse] and that’s the thing that hurt us the most.”
Mrs King had been crossing the Pacific Highway on a green light when she was struck by Farhad’s taxi, which also had a green light.
The upper part of her body hit the bonnet of Farhad's van and she then fell under the cab and was dragged about 20m.
The 52-year-old did issue an apology soon after the accident, with defence lawyer Nick Hanna telling the court the crash had seen Farhad’s marriage and mental health crumble.
“Yes, I’m very sorry,” Farhad said outside court before he was sentenced.
Judge Andrew Scotting accepted Farhad’s remorse, even though he didn’t immediately show it.
Farhad was sentenced to three years’ jail, with a non-parole period of 18 months.
“We don’t take any pleasure from Mark being imprisoned,” Mr Cooper said.
“The fact is he left (the crash scene).”
