Illegal immigrant killed 20-year-old while driving without UK licence

An illegal Pakistani immigrant who killed a talented young footballer in a crash while driving without a valid UK licence or insurance has been jailed for just 30 weeks.

Syed Bukhari, 27, who will walk free from prison in just over three months, ploughed his Toyota Prius into a motorbike being ridden by 20-year-old Cameron Arneaud.

Cameron was thrown from his Benelli Tornado and suffered injuries which sadly turned out to be fatal.

A court heard how Bukhari failed to stop at a junction before turning right directly into Cameron's path on Irthlingborough Road, Finedon, Northamptonshire, in December 2023.

Cameron's dad told how he arrived on the scene of the accident three days before Christmas to find his son dying on the ground.

He lay down next to him on the road surface while he took his last breaths.

The court was told how Bukhari had overstayed his student visa, and was in the country illegally.

Also, although he had a Pakistani driving licence, had never applied for a UK licence, which is required to drive on public roads after a year, and he was not insured.

Bukhari, of Brantwood Court in Luton, Bedforshire, admitted causing death by careless driving on October 17 and was jailed at Northampton Crown Court on Thursday.

He was sentenced to 30 weeks in prison, of which he will serve half in jail and the rest on licence.

Bukhari was also disqualified from driving for 67 weeks and has been ordered to take an extended test.

A second charge of causing death whilst unlicensed/uninsured will remain on file. 

Sentencing, Judge Rupert Mayo said to Bukhari: 'You brought tremendous sorrow into Mr Arneaud's family.

'Nothing that I do in terms of passing sentence can, or should, put a value on Cameron's life.'

The court heard that Bukhari had arrived in the UK on a student visa from Pakistan in 2022, but had overstayed and subsequently married, with his wife giving birth eight months ago.

He had not been able to afford to pay for the legal process which would give him leave to remain, so was not legally in the country.

As he had been in the country for more than a year, it also became mandatory to apply for a UK driving licence - but Bukhari had not done so.

Cameron's mum Alison Mitchell told the court how losing her son had shattered her life and those of her other children, Cameron's brothers and sister.

The Arsenal fan from Bedford had been a talented footballer and had been part of an academy before moving to Rushden and starting a new job at the National Accident Helpline.

Wearing a grey suit, Bukhari stared straight ahead during the entire hearing as the family directed their statements toward him in the dock.

Ms Mitchell described how Cameron had been a father figure to her other children after she became a single mother.

She said: 'He was their constant source of love, support and guidance.'

She described how her other children had suffered nightmares since his death and had faced struggles with their emotions. 

Cameron's mother added: 'My daughter is always asking lots of questions.

'Like who's going to walk me in the church, mum, when I get married?'

'My youngest sobs and tells me he wants his brother.

'The other one is now 18 and he lost his best friend as well as his brother. I've never seen him more broken.'

Ms Mitchell described how she had always been the 'strong one' throughout her life, and addressing Bukhari, she said: 'In one single moment, not only did you kill my son, you killed me.

'You have absolutely destroyed me. I stand before you a broken woman.

'I am not going to see him buy his first car or home. I'm not going to see him fall in love or get married.

'I'll never see him have children.'

Cameron's father Daniel Arneaud said that he had watched his son grow into an 'amazing young man'.

He said: 'I am proud of who he became. He supported his mum, leading by example and helping to support his siblings.

'He wanted to be a role model for them, and he was.'

Mr Arneaud said his son was 'loving, caring, thoughtful, compassionate and brave,' describing the moment he arrived to see his boy lying unconscious on the road.

He added: 'The trauma of seeing so many people trying to save my son's life and then for them to get your permission to stop CPR as he's gone.

'Lying beside my son on the road, stalling for as much time as I could so I could say goodbye.

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'I am broken and I have no direction. This has cost me my home, my relationship, my job and my son.'

Ben Gow, prosecuting, said Bukhari had been behind the wheel of a Toyota Prius at about 9.15pm on December 22, 2023.

As he came toward 'give way' signs in Oxford Street in Finedon he slowed to 1.2mph, but didn't completely stop.

There were cars parked on the double yellow lines and there was vegetation obscuring his view.

Mr Gow said: 'He proceeded to go straight out, emerging from the junction without taking proper care.'

He pulled out and hit Cameron's Benelli Tornado bike, which the court heard had been potentially travelling between nine and 14mph over the road's limit of 30mph.

Cameron died at the scene from his injuries.

Paul Vickers, defending, said that his client now never wanted to drive again after what happened.

He said: 'This was a brief moment where, had it not been for a number of factors, he would not be before the court and Mr Arneaud would still be alive.

'He slowed down to 1.2mph and accelerated in what was a normal manner with these devastating consequences.'

Bukhari, who has no previous convictions, had immediately co-operated with an off-duty Met Police officer who stopped at the scene.

Following the hearing, Cameron's family said they believed that although Bukhari had not intended to kill their son, some of his actions had been overlooked.

Cameron's father Mr Arneaud said: 'There was the intention to stay here, the intention to drive, the intention to be on the road without insurance. They are all facts.'

Lead investigator, Detective Constable Rae Pegg, of Northamptonshire Police's Serious Collision Investigation Unit, praised Cameron's family for their courage and strength.

She said: 'The devastation this collision has caused cannot be measured.

'Cameron was a much-loved son and brother, and leaves behind family and friends who all thought the absolute world of him.

'No sentence will ever make up for his death. However, I hope Bukhari is aware that, as result of his careless use of the road, he has left a family completely and forever heartbroken.

'Throughout the investigation and at court, Cameron's family have displayed immense courage, dignity and emotional strength, and I hope the conclusion of this case will provide them with some sort of closure and give them the time to grieve properly.'

After the sentencing Cameron's parents issued a joint statement, expressing their devastation at the loss of their beloved son.

They said: 'December 22, 2023, changed our lives forever. No parent should bury their child – we were both strong people before this happened but the pain of losing Cameron in these circumstances has broken us.

'The stress of trying to understand and come to terms with what happened to Cameron has also had a devastating impact on his brothers and sister, who have lost their best friend and constant source of love, support and guidance.

'He was a huge part of all our lives, and we miss him so much. We were all amazingly proud of the young man that he had become – he wanted to be a role model to his siblings, and he was. Not just to them but also his cousins and friends, who adored him.

'As a parent you finally feel you've accomplished a miracle when your child becomes an adult, you've helped them manoeuvre and master all the possible outcomes a teenage life has in this day in age.

'Imagine our pride when Cameron turned out to be a young man who is loving, polite, caring, thoughtful, compassionate and brave. The relief that you feel knowing that you've done such an amazing job at raising such a man with a bright future.

'Then imagine it's all taken away. The harsh reality is that we do not need to imagine as this is our lives. Cameron's promising life, just starting, taken away by a moment of carelessness.'