You left Sylv to die alone. You did not show him even a shred of compassion.
Driver Uways Hussain received 11 years 8 months; passenger Usmon Mahmood received 12 years 9 months for aiding and abetting the fatal collision. The pair filmed themselves engaging in dangerous driving, including drug use and traffic violations, before hitting Sylvester Abayomi who was traveling to work.
- Uways Hussain, 20, sentenced to 11 years 8 months; Usmon Mahmood, 23, sentenced to 12 years 9 months
- Vehicle traveling at 139mph in a 30mph zone when it struck Sylvester Abayomi, 50, on March 9, 2026
- The pair filmed themselves inhaling nitrous oxide, running red lights, and weaving through traffic before the crash
- After impact, they discussed calling an Uber and reporting the car as stolen, unaware their call was being recorded
- Rare conviction of a passenger for aiding and abetting causing death by dangerous driving
Two men have been jailed for causing the death of a 50-year-old man in a 130mph crash in a 30mph zone while filming themselves inhaling nitrous oxide and running red lights.
On the morning of March 9th, a 50-year-old man named Sylvester Abayomi drove toward work on a green light along Manchester's Kingsway. He never arrived. A Volkswagen Golf GTI, traveling at 139 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone, ran a red light and struck him fatally. The driver was 20-year-old Uways Hussain. The car belonged to his passenger, 23-year-old Usmon Mahmood. Both men had spent the preceding time filming themselves on their phones—inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons, running red lights, weaving through traffic at speeds exceeding 130 miles per hour. They were documenting their own recklessness.
On May 29th, at Manchester Crown Court, Hussain was sentenced to 11 years and eight months for causing death by dangerous driving. Mahmood received 12 years and nine months for aiding and abetting the same offense. Judge Nicholas Dean, delivering sentence, called the collision "wholly unnecessary and entirely avoidable." He described what had preceded it as "a sustained, deliberate and escalating course of highly dangerous conduct over a prolonged period." The judge used a single word to characterize the experience: terrifying.
What happened in the seconds after impact reveals something about the men's state of mind. Hussain's Apple watch detected the collision and automatically dialed 999. The emergency call was recorded. Neither man knew they were being heard. Instead of checking on Abayomi, instead of calling for help, they discussed summoning an Uber to leave the scene. They talked about reporting the car as stolen. Judge Dean described the transcript of that call as "chilling." It revealed, he said, no shock, no concern for the victim—only the calculation of escape.
When police tracked them down, both men ran. They were arrested after officers caught them. Hussain later admitted to causing death by dangerous driving, causing death by driving while uninsured, and failing to provide a specimen for drug testing. He had a previous conviction for drug-driving. Mahmood admitted to aiding and abetting the fatal crash and aiding and abetting death by driving while uninsured. In mitigation, his defense counsel noted he had been about to begin an apprenticeship with Network Rail and was beginning to understand the weight of what he had done.
Sylvester Abayomi's partner, Denise Doyle, addressed the court directly. She described him as "the most caring soul and gentle person you could ever meet." She spoke of him as an ordinary, hardworking man who should have come home that day. "Because of your actions he never did," she said. She told Hussain and Mahmood: "You left Sylv to die alone. You did not show him even a shred of compassion or humanity."
Greater Manchester Police called the crash "one of the worst disregards of speeding" officers had encountered. Detective Sergeant Thomas Johnson described it as "one of the most extreme cases of dangerous driving we have encountered." The sentences handed down are believed to rank among the highest ever imposed for a single-fatality death by dangerous driving offense. The conviction of Mahmood—a passenger held criminally liable for aiding and abetting the fatal crash—is thought to be among the first of its kind nationally. The case stands as a stark illustration of how the decision to film oneself committing crimes, to document recklessness, leaves a permanent record. It also stands as a reminder that a moment of deliberate, escalating danger can end an ordinary person's life on an ordinary morning, and that no sentence can restore what was lost.
Citações Notáveis
It was a sustained, deliberate and escalating course of highly dangerous conduct over a prolonged period. It was terrifying.— Judge Nicholas Dean, sentencing
Sylvester was simply on his way to work. An ordinary hard-working man. He should have returned home to me safely that day.— Denise Doyle, victim's partner
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does it matter that they filmed themselves?
Because it's evidence of intent. They weren't speeding by accident or losing control. They were performing. They were documenting it. That's the difference between a terrible mistake and a choice made repeatedly, deliberately, while watching themselves make it.
The passenger got a longer sentence than the driver. How does that work?
He owned the car. He was present. He didn't stop it. The law says you can be guilty of a crime if you help someone commit it—if you encourage it, enable it, fail to prevent it when you could. By being there, by being part of it, by filming it with him, he became part of the act.
What strikes you most about what happened after the crash?
That they didn't know they were being recorded. They had just killed someone. And instead of panic or horror, there's just logistics. How do we leave. How do we cover this up. That's what the judge meant by chilling—it wasn't the sound of remorse. It was the sound of calculation.
The victim's partner spoke in court. What was she doing there?
Bearing witness. Making sure the men heard from the person who lost everything that day. Making sure the court understood that Sylvester Abayomi wasn't an abstract victim—he was a man, a partner, someone who should have come home.
Are these sentences unusual?
They're among the highest on record for this type of offense. And the passenger conviction is rare nationally. It signals something: the courts are taking this seriously. They're saying that if you're in the car, if you're filming, if you're part of it, you're responsible too.