Nottingham: Driver jailed for killing student in police chase

A man has been jailed for nine years for killing a mature student with a car while being pursued by police.

Oshada Jayasundera, 31, of Nottingham Trent University, was hit on the A60 Huntingdon Street in Nottingham city centre in the early hours of 13 December and died at the scene.

Joshua Gregory, 27, was sentenced on Thursday after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

The victim's brother travelled from Sri Lanka to speak at the hearing.

At Nottingham Crown Court, Recorder Paul Mann KC said Gregory had treated the city centre "like a racetrack", describing his dangerous driving as "prolonged, persistent and deliberate".

He added Mr Jayasundera's family would have to bear his loss "every day for the rest of their lives".

The court heard Mr Jayasundera had been returning home from a birthday party with friends when he was struck by the Ford Focus, which Gregory had taken from the garage where he worked without permission from his employer and without insurance.

His car was spotted by officers swerving in Sherwood Rise at about 03:10 GMT, prompting them to activate their blue lights, prosecutors said.

During the pursuit, Gregory reached speeds in excess of 80mph in a 30mph zone and the force of the collision was such that Mr Jayasundera's body was propelled 46m (150ft).

Mr Mann said: "Mercifully, his death was instantaneous."

Shortly after hitting Mr Jayasundera, Gregory collided with a central reservation and abandoned the car.

He was pursued on foot and refused to take an alcohol breath test when caught by officers, before making a second escape attempt.

The court was shown bodyworn camera footage of an officer asking Gregory if he was drunk, to which he replied "yeah".

The victim's brother travelled from Sri Lanka with his father and read a statement at the hearing which described Mr Jayasundera as "studious and humble".

He told the court the process of repatriating his brother, which took about a month, was "a time of great despair", adding his mother was "emotionally shattered to see her son arriving home in a way she had never dreamt of".

A statement issued by Mr Jayasundera's family via Nottinghamshire Police said: "Our family will never recover from this loss for the rest of our lives.

"We will have to live with it, suffering every single second, every minute, every hour, every day, every week, and all the years to come."

The defence read a letter written by Gregory to the victim's family, which said he was "fully aware of the pain and anguish this has caused".

In addition to his prison sentence, Gregory, of Westfield Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, also received a 12-year driving ban.

An Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into Nottinghamshire Police's pursuit of Gregory concluded the actions and decisions of all officers involved were "reasonable" and "appropriate".

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