Police officer says he understands frustration at length of sentence

Rida Kazem (left) and Yagmur Ozden (right) who died in the crash

May 18, 2023

Rida Kazem, the 24-year-old man from Greenford who was responsible for the death of a woman when he crashed his Range Rover while speeding in Park Royal, has been jailed for seven and a half years.

He had reached 110mph on the A40 before careering through two barriers and onto the tracks at the tube station killing 33-year-old, mother of one, Yagmur Ozden and seriously injuring another woman passenger.

Kazem, who worked as the manager of his father’s jewellery shop, had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving on Thursday, 16 February. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 years at a sentencing hearing at Isleworth Crown Court on Wednesday, 17 May.

A statement from Yagmur's 13-year-old daughter, Melek was read out at the hearing which said, “I blame the driver for taking my mum away. Even if he got a life sentence or twenty years it will not change anything.

“I want him to have a long time in prison, so this does not happen to anyone else.

Yagmur's sister, 37-year-old Maya Kodsi said, “We left the court in so much pain. They took the decision, it’s not enough and it’s not fair. There’s no punishment in this country.”

One of the officers involved with the investigation said afterwards he understood Yagmur’s family’s frustration at the length of the sentence. Although the maximum term for this offence is 14 years, this would require it to be assessed as a Level 1 category offence which would involve the knowing consumption of an excessive amount of alcohol and/or persistently bad driving over an extended period. It is believed that the judge did not think Kazem’s driving met these criteria and therefore determined that it was a Level 2 category offence for which the maximum term is seven years.

Kazem was travelling westbound on the A40 at 3:48am on 22 August 2022 when the crash occurred. He had earlier offered the two women a lift home from a night club in the Park Royal area in his recently purchased Range Rover Sport SVR which has a 5-litre engine and a top speed of 176mph.

He came to a set of traffic lights which were at red but when they turned green, he put his foot down in an attempt to show off to his passengers reaching more than double the speed limit. Accident investigators believe the car made a glancing blow on a kerb on a bend in the road causing one of the wheels to fly off and Kazem to lose control. The vehicle went through a barrier by the Tesla garage and over the heads of two Tesla drivers who were recharging their cars hitting one of them while the driver was sat inside. The Range Rover then continued through the air until it landed on the railway tracks.

The Range Rover flying over the barrier by the road. Picture: Teslacam

Yagmur Ozden died at the scene but, miraculously, the other woman, 26-year-old Zamarod Arif, has since made a full physical recovery as has the Tesla driver.

Karem was critically injured and his family says that at one point the amputation of one of his legs was considered, but he has now made a full recovery. He refused to give a blood sample after the crash.

The vehicle’s on-board computer enabled detectives to gain ample evidence about the crash. This combined with CCTV evidence and that of eye-witnesses meant that Kazem has little choice but to give a guilty plea.

The Range Rover was airborne over the Tesla recharging area. Picture: Twitter

The court was told that he had two previous speeding offences with the most recent involving him travelling at 95mph in 50mph road for which he received a disqualification. This ban ended in June 2022 just months prior to the fatal collision in August 2022.

Detective Constable Benjamin Simpson, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said, "Our thoughts remain with Yagmur’s family and friends who have experienced the most tragic loss.

“CCTV footage recovered from the local area clearly shows Kazem travelling at excessive speed, and losing control of his car.

“His guilty plea was an acknowledgement that he should have known better, but this does not mitigate what he did.

"The driving he displayed in this incident was both deliberate and selfish with no regard for the public and has ultimately resulted in life changing injuries and the loss of Yagmur’s life.

"I fully understand the family’s frustration with the length of sentence handed down today. I hope that other motorists will reflect on this case and recognise that what they do behind the wheel can have tragic consequences.”