Driver cleared over five-year-old’s death after electric car ‘moved on its own’
Driver found not guilty in five-year-old’s death after electric car ‘jumped’ forward
- Minicab driver Ashenafei Demissie has been found not guilty of causing the death of five-year-old Fareed Amir and serious injury to his own 12-year-old son.
- The incident occurred on 25 November 2022, when Demissie's electric Volkswagen ID.4 suddenly accelerated in a car park in Borough, south London.
- In a police interview, Demissie said: “Suddenly the car jumped. I believe the car jumped because Fareed triggered the sensor. I had never had any mechanical problems with the car before.”
- A prosecution crash expert testified that he found no technical fault with the vehicle and could not make it accelerate without driver input.
- The jury at the Old Bailey delivered the not guilty verdict after five hours of deliberation following a week-long trial.