Driver Rajab Ali fronts court for killing Thiagarajah Srisantharajah on his morning walk
Horrified motorists watched as a tradie on his way to work ran a red light and sideswiped a 77-year-old on his morning walk at Mount Waverley, killing him.
South East
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A tradie who bolted through a red light on his way to work and sideswiped a 77-year-old on his morning walk at a pedestrian crossing, killing him, has copped a short prison sentence.
Rajab Ali, 35, pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing death and appeared for sentencing in the County Court on Tuesday.
He was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment and disqualified from obtaining a driver’s license for 20 months.
A Pakistani national, Ali was working as a renderer and bookkeeper when he hit Thiagarajah Sriskantharajah at the intersection of High St and Leeds Rd at Mount Waverley about 9.30am on November 6, 2023.
Mr Sriskantharajah was taken to hospital with life threatening injuries, including skull fractures.
He died two days later.
Court documents stated Ali was driving a Ford utility that belonged to his employer and was on his second job along High St when the collision happened.
As Mr Sriskantharajah began crossing the road when the pedestrian light turned green, Ali sideswiped him before pulling over a short distance away and returning to the scene until emergency services arrived.
Two motorists who stopped at the lights saw the Doveton tradie speed past them through the red light and heard the collision.
Ali was taken to the Glen Waverley police station where he told officers he had driven through the traffic light when the collision happened.
He recalled a man standing at the lights who hit the Ford utility and broke the side mirror.
Investigations revealed after the light turned red, there was a further three second gap before the pedestrian light turned green.
Detective Sergeant Robert Hay from the Collision Reconstruction and Mechanical Investigation Unit said Ali was possibly 116m away from the pedestrian crossing when he first had an opportunity to see the light turn amber.
