£1,000 fine for killing family

A lorry driver who smashed into a car killing a family of four on the M1 was fined £1,000 this afternoon.

In passing sentence the judge admitted that the penalty would be considered "derisory by some".

William Ishani, 48, from Swindon, was convicted of careless driving after being cleared of the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

Ishani's 38-ton lorry ploughed into the back of the Khambaty family's Ford Escort on the motorway near Toddington in Bedfordshire in June last year.

All four members of the family, from Northampton, died instantly when their car was pushed under the wheels of an HGV in front of them.

The father Murtuza, 30, his 31-yearold wife Tasneem and their daughter Sakina, four, and nine-month-old son Hussain, were returning home from an evening in London when the crash happened just after midnight. The jury took nearly nine hours to return the four not guilty verdicts on a majority basis on causing death by dangerous driving. They unanimouslydriving.

convicted Ishani of careless

Fining Ishani and banning him from driving for one year, judge Geoffrey Breen said: "In the circumstances, the penalty I impose will,

I'm quite sure, be considered derisory by some. But it is the penalty which is appropriate for the offence."

He added: "This jury has acquitted you of causing the deaths of four members of the Khambaty family by dangerous driving.

"Had you been convicted you would of course have been facing a significant prison sentence." The crash occurred as traffic slowed to where the motorway was being reduced to one lane.

Simon Stirling, prosecuting, told the jury: "The Crown say these four deaths were caused by the dangerous driving of Ishani.

"In all probability he fell asleep but he certainly failed to see or take any evasive action. He had plenty of opportunity to see the queue of traffic but failed to do so and ploughed into the back of the car at 31 mph."

Ishani's tachograph showed that the brakes had not been applied at all.

One driver thought Ishani's driving was erratic, at one stage indicating left as if going on to the hard shoulder. The tachograph showed irregular speed traces.