Driver jailed after speeding at 83mph and killing father walking home to Streetly

A 23-year-old man from Sutton Coldfield has been jailed for eight years and six months after he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.

Arjun Nijjar was found to be driving his Mercedes C63 AMG at high speeds on August 16 last year, this led to him crashing into Douglas Draper, who was a pedestrian.

Mr Draper died on Thornhill Road, Streetly, near to Sutton Coldfield Golf Club.

Mr Draper had walked from Sutton Coldfield town centre and while walking home he was hit by the car as he was crossing the road.

Nijjar stayed at the scene while emergency services attended to the situation, where members of the public attempted to help.

Police said that while waiting at the scene, Nijjar lied to members of the public, as he is believed to have told them that he was only driving at the speed limit of 30mph.

However, detectives from West Midlands Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU), found that the 23-year-old was driving at approximately 83mph before the collision.

CCTV footage showed the car accelerate before it fatally struck Mr Draper.

In addition to this, skid marks on the road for several metres indicated the speed that he was travelling and why it took so long for the car to stop.

Arjun Nijjar, 23, of Sharrat Field, Sutton Coldfield had pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving whilst under the influence of alcohol.

He was jailed on Tuesday (October 13) for eight years and six months at Wolverhampton Crown Court, and he is also disqualified from driving for five years.

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Mr Draper’s son shared a statement: "I pray that nobody has to receive the call I did that evening. Mom lost her husband of 46 years that day.

"Dad was mom’s carer after her years of ill health and mobility issues. He loved walking not only to run errands for themselves but to keep himself fit after surviving prostate cancer. My dad was her everything.

"The memories still trick and taunt us both. She’s betrayed by the hope he’ll just walk-in through the door.

"You always hope that anyone you love dies peacefully. But this was not the case for my dad, and I will forever be haunted by this.

"Hopefully the above gives a picture of the pieces we’ve had to pick up, but I can assure you the cloud for me is always there.

"If it wasn’t for the carelessness and irresponsibility of the driver, my Dad would be home."

Det Sgt Richard Evans, from the SCIU at West Midlands Police said: "Mr Draper tragically lost his life due to the selfish actions of Nijjar.

"He was over the drink-drive limit and driving at speed in a high-powered car that he was not insured to be driving. These factors lead to the vast majority of collisions where people are killed or seriously injured on the roads.

"He had no regard for other road users, and his selfish driving led to this tragic loss.

"I hope this makes people think twice about the decisions they make when they drive. Dangerous driving ruins lives and tears the lives of families apart."