Widow Hopes Case Raises Awareness Of The Importance Of Speed Limits

A heartbroken mum-of-four whose husband was killed while she was eight months pregnant by a ‘show off’ driver speeding at 150mph has spoken of her devastation that he never got to meet their unborn child as the motorist responsible was jailed for seven years.

Bus driver Sukhpreet Chimber was killed instantly in September 2010 when Shehzad Munir ploughed his 4.5 litre 6 Series BMW into the back of his car, driving at least 70mph faster than Sukhpreet, as he was travelling home from a late shift.

Now, a day after a jury at Snaresbrook Crown Court found Munir guilty of causing death by dangerous driving with Judge Patricia Lees jailing him for seven years imprisonment and banning him from driving for eight years, expert lawyers at Irwin Mitchell have joined Sukhpreet’s wife – calling for drivers to obey speed limits.

The court heard Munir, 25, was showing off to try and win back his girlfriend, who he was travelling with, when he cut across three lanes on the A13 and smashed into Sukhpreet’s car, hurling it more than 200 metres.

The devoted family man, who lived in Grays, Essex, left behind his distraught wife Gurpreet, three little girls, now aged nine, seven and three, and his son, now aged two, who was born a month after his death.

Gurpreet, 33, has instructed experts at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors to ensure her family’s future is protected and says she is determined to show motorists the horrendous consequences speeding can have.

Speaking after the verdict, she said: “The last two years have been horrendous as we have struggled to come to terms with Sukhpreet’s death. He was a key figure within the family and was focused on providing the best for me and the children. He worked extremely hard as a bus driver, regularly doing overtime to ensure we were all adequately provided for.

“I have had to move to Wolverhampton to be closer to my family because I couldn’t cope on my own. The children have been crying all the time and often just won’t speak. There is nothing I can do to console them about the fact their dad has gone.

“I’m pleased that justice has been done in the criminal courts but nothing will bring Sukhpreet back or make any difference to what happened. I just want to ensure my children are looked after in the future and still have the opportunities they would have had had their dad been alive.

“More than anything I want Sukhpreet’s death to show the importance of drivers obeying the speed limits. They are set for a reason, to protect people. My husband would still be alive today if that driver hadn’t been speeding and I now have to live with that fact for the rest of my life.”

Chani Dhaliwal, a serious injury lawyer at Irwin Mitchell’s London office representing the family, said: “This is one of the most tragic cases I have worked on and the reckless actions of the show off driver have ruined five lives as well as those of two sisters, a brother and mother. Nothing can ever make up for that.

“We continue to be contacted by devastated families who have lost a loved one due to the selfish actions of other road users and until drivers start obeying the speed limits, things will not improve.

“Speed limits save lives and I hope this case makes people realise that breaking these limits, for whatever reason, is not worth risking the life of another human.”

Dhaliwal added: “Sukhpreet was a loving husband and a great father and the family understandably still struggle to accept he is not here.

“We will work to ensure they have the help and support they need to begin to come to terms with their loss.”