Vansh Khanna, 19: Uber Eats driver fled scene after hitting three schoolboys because he feared for he would be beaten up by bystanders

A novice Uber driver, who fled after running down three Sydney schoolboys on a crossing because he feared being beaten up by angry bystanders, has learned his fate in court.

A hit-and-run Uber Eats driver – who ploughed into three schoolboys on a pedestrian crossing before fleeing – claimed he drove away because he feared he would be beaten up by bystanders.

Vansh Khanna, 19, had only been in Australia from India for three months when he badly injured the year 7 students when he went through a red light at a busy intersection while hurrying to make food deliveries.

The teen was sentenced to 26 months in jail.

Graphic Dashcam footage shown in Manly Local Court on Thursday showed the Year 7 boys thrown metres into the air on impact on the Pacific Highway at Crows Nest when they were struck by the Honda Accord at 3.30pm on May 18.

Khanna’s lawyer Hemant Prakhash said the novice driver told authorities that in his homeland “people beat you with sticks and throw stones at you” if you injure someone in a collision.

Vansh Khanna, 19, outside Manly Local Court on Thursday, with his sister and lawyer Hemant Prakhash, before he was sentenced for a string of charges related to three schoolboys struck by the Uber eats car he was driving on a pedestrian crossing at Crows Nest. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

Khanna was sentenced to 26 months in jail, with a 14-month non-parole period.

Mr Prakhash said Khanna had suffered a “careless lack of judgment” just prior to hitting the boys, aged 12 and 13 from North Sydney Boys High School – who cannot be named for legal reasons – as they crossed on a green pedestrian light at the intersection with Falcon St.

“He was not drunk, he was not on drugs, he was not speeding.

“It was momentary inattention.

“He did not stop (after the collision) due to fear for his own safety”.

Police prosecutor Craig Pullen said that instead of stopping to check on the students, including one who suffered a badly broken leg that needed complicated surgery, Khanna continued driving.

Dashcam footage of the moment just three schoolboys were hit by Vansh Khanna’s Uber Eats car on the Pacific Highway at Crows Nest on May 18, 2023. Source: Supplied

Sgt Pullen said Khanna turned into a side street and used his mobile phone to call his mother in India, who told him to drive to the home at Lane Cove where he was staying.

He said Khanna did not call emergency services or call police to check on the welfare of the children, but found time to call his mother.

“He did nothing.

“He left those children in the middle of the road.”

Vansh Khanna soon after he arrived in Sydney in early 2023. Source: Supplied

Khanna, who came to Australia to study IT at Macquarie University, pleaded guilty to five charges — dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm (drive manner dangerous); two counts of cause bodily harm by misconduct in charge of a motor vehicle; one count of fail to stop and assist after vehicle impact causing grievous bodily harm and; fail to stop and assist after impact cause injury.

NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the boys at the scene. The 13-year-old boy was taken to Sydney Children’s Hospital with a fractured right leg. One of the 12-year-olds suffered a broken collarbone. The third boy had minor injuries.

Vansh Khanna, 18, outside Manly Local Court on Thursday. Picture: Jim O'Rourke

In a facts sheet tendered to court police stated that on the day of the collision Khanna had started his delivery duties at 11.30am.

He told police that he had “been in a hurry” to deliver Uber Eats when the collision occurred, according to the facts sheet.

The traffic control signals facing Khanna were red for five seconds and “the accused failed to stop, only braking just prior to impacting with the (boys)”.

Mr Prakhash said Khanna was not used to the driving conditions in Sydney, but had admitted “It was my mistake” and agreed “he should have stopped”.

Outside court, the mother of the 13-year-old victim said “justice was served”.

Magistrate Les Mabbutt told Khanna it was a “selfish decision” to drive away and that he had made a “conscious decision” to drive through the red light because he was in a hurry.

As well as 26 months in jail, Khanna was disqualified from driving for three months.

Khanna’s lawyer immediately lodged an appeal against the severity of the sentence and then applied for Khanna to be released on bail ahead of a severity hearing in the District Court on January 16.

At 3.15pm, Magistrate Mabbutt ordered that Khanna could be released from custody on strict conditional bail including providing a $10,000 surety and reporting to Granville police station each day.