Irish speeding menace jailed for 10 years after killing two fathers in Mercedes he borrowed to impress girlfriend
Dudley Reilly, 25, left 14 children without fathers when he killed Rafique Khan and Aurangzeb Khan after jumping a red light in Accrington
Ruth Halkon
(Image: Cavendish Press)
A "selfish" motoring menace killed two innocent fathers in a horrific road smash after borrowing a Mercedes to impress his girlfriend.
Irishman Dudley Reilly, 25, who pestered a friend to let him drive his 155mph C250, battled to keep control of the speeding car as it careered around a 90 degree bend and jumped one red light, before ploughing into a Vauxhall Vectra as he went through a second.
The fatal crash in Accrington, Lancashire, claimed the lives of father of 11 Rafique Khan, 43, who was in the back seat of the Vectra, and the driver, 42-year old father of three Aurang Zeb Khan. A third passenger, Rafakat Khan, suffered life changing injuries and is unable to stand, talk or write.
Reilly, who had been drinking lager, attempted to run off after the crash but was arrested shortly afterwards. Police discovered he was uninsured to drive the Mercedes and had two previous convictions for speeding in his native Ireland.
The scene of the fatal car crash at the junction of Hyndburn Road and Oxford Street
In an unusual move at Preston Crown Court Aurang Zeb Khan's widow was allowed to address a judge and personally condemn double killer Reilly as he was was jailed for ten and a half years.
Nargis Khan sobbed as she said the impact occurred just half a mile from their family home they shared with their children aged 11, eight and four and said: ''I will never go that route again for the rest of my life.''
She added: "I have gone over what happened in my head 1,000 times since that day and I will never forgive this man for his reckless actions. He decided to drive dangerously and recklessly and chose to disregard the life of my husband and others on the road. It has forced me to live a life I cannot recognise and become a person who I don't know.
"Our lives have been turned upside down. It is a struggle without him and for the rest of our lives I will be mourning the loss of my husband. We are mourning the loss of hopes, dreams and expectations. We will never see him again, we will never grow old together.
Reilly had a pint of lager before the friends drove into Accrington where witnesses became aware of a ''loud engine and revving sounds''. He took a 90 degree bend at speed and was seen to be ''fighting to keep control'' of the vehicle. One motorist recalled how it was travelling so fast it was like "a flash of black".
Rafique Khan, 43 and Aurang Zeb Khan, 42, both of Accrington died in car collision with careless driver Dudley Reilly (Image: Cavendish Press)
The victims, described as ''men in their prime, well known and respected in their community'', were on their way to a garage to fuel in the Vectra when Reilly jumped his second red light at up to 65mph and smashed into them side-on.
The Vectra was propelled up the road and sent spinning on its axis before smashing into a traffic sign. The Mercedes flipped over, injuring two of its occupants.
Reilly was seen hobbling away from the scene despite having an open fracture to his ankle. He was arrested afterwards but claimed he was not the driver and said he had been injured climbing over a wall. When confronted with the truth he insisted his speed was "normal" and the traffic lights had been on green.
Rafakat Khan, a friend of the two victims, survived the smash but suffered a fractured skull, brain haemorrhages, numerous bleeds on the brain and a broken eye socket. He also suffered a collapsed lung and is now disabled and suffers from epilepsy.
Reilly, from Ribbleton, Lancashire, admitted death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury and having no insurance. He was also banned from driving for 15 years. His counsel Mr Jamie Hamilton said of the impact: "It's the first thing he thinks of when he goes to sleep, the first thing when he wakes up and often features in his dreams at night."
Uninsured driver Dudley Reilly
Passing sentence Judge Stuart Baker said the accident left a ''gaping chasm'' in the family lives of the victims and told Reilly: ''It was dreadful combination of death and serious injury.
''You had already been asked by the owner to slow down. but when you came out of the pub and started driving again you reverted to driving too fast and in a dangerous manner. It was deliberate, persistent, prolonged and very bad driving - not one but two men were killed by you and others were grievously injured. Your departure from the scene showed a selfish disregard for the people involved."
Preston Crown Court
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