Crying BMW driver's empty apology and final insult to the 12-year-old boy his 'stupidity' killed

A speeding driver has said 'sorry' and begged for forgiveness from the family of a 12-year-old boy he killed, despite failing to take responsibility for his own 'stupidity' for months. Shazad Alam was jailed for eight years and nine months for mowing down Azaan Khan on the Coventry Road in Yardley on June 8 last year.

The 34-year-old had been 'aggressively' weaving in and out of traffic and using the bus lane to undercut other drivers who recalled hearing his engine 'revving and roaring' past them. Crucially, he was believed to be travelling as fast as 62mph on the 40mph road at the point he collided with Azaan, who had made it halfway across the street on his bicycle.

It emerged Alam, who worked for Jaguar Land Rover, had previously been banned from driving twice, in 2019 and 2022, under the 'totting up' procedure, which included incidents of speeding. He spent most of his sentencing hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on Thursday, November 21 with his head bowed while he sobbed in the dock.

READ MORE: Driver who killed 12-year-old Azaan Khan in Birmingham jailed as dark history on roads revealed

Part of a letter he had written was read out by his barrister. He said: "No amount of words can express how sorry I am for the loss I caused to Azaan's family. I want to apologise to them profusely. The tragic mistake I made on the 8th of June last year will live with me forever and Azaan will remain in the my prayers and the prayers of my family. "

Alam went on saying he had experienced challenges in his own life, including growing up in a single-parent household and losing his first wife. He added he had regularly gone past the scene as a passenger since the accident and thought about 'what I could have done to prevent this tragedy'.

But Judge Kristina Montgomery KC cast doubt over Alam's expressions of remorse, given he had initially pleaded not guilty and maintained for a long time that his driving was not dangerous. Harry Lally, defending, explained his client 'couldn't bear' to take responsibility for taking the life of a child for many months, before he eventually admitted the offence of causing death by dangerous driving.

He added: "It was a moment of madness. It was stupidity. He shouldn't have driven in that manner. He knows he will never be forgiven for what he did. He will forever pray for forgiveness but it may never come."

Passing sentence Judge Montgomery told Alam: "You are genuinely remorseful for the pain and suffering you have caused to Azaan Khan's parents. Remorse, however, is multi-faceted and your undoubted regret for the consequences of your actions and the effect of those actions upon others is genuine.

"But there's still an element of minimising responsibility at every turn. The pre-sentence report makes no miscommunication and has not misrepresented your conversations.

"It reflects what you have said yourself throughout the time you have been spoken to by the police and the author of the pre-sentence report. You didn't recognise your driving as being dangerous."

The judge concluded she was 'not confident' that Alam was fully remorseful, adding: "That is something you will have to work on over the period of time you will spend in custody."

Azaan's parents had both read emotional statements to the court during the hearing. Judge Montgomery said: "Azaan Khan was a sweet, funny, intelligent child embarking on the adventures and newfound freedom that comes with his being on the cusp of his teenage years.

"In spite of his age he was still to his parents a cherished little boy. I have heard their victim personal statements this afternoon and watched how they struggled to articulate their loss.

"Their grief is so profound each of them struggles to see how they can negotiate a world without their precious boy. The sentence I pass this afternoon must be in accordance with the law.

"It doesn't try to quantify let alone compensate for the loss or to measure what Azaan would have undoubtedly contributed to the world had he reached adulthood and his full potential."

Alam, of Lowesmoor Road, Sheldon, will serve two-thirds of his eight-year and nine-month sentence in custody before release on licence. From that point he will face a seven-year road ban.