Grieving parents demand harsher sentences for killer drivers

A couple from Wiltshire are campaigning to have killer drivers charged with manslaughter after their son died in a hit and run.

James Gilbey, 25, was mown down and left for dead by Majid Malik and Kaiz Mahmood as they raced their cars at twice the speed limit through streets in Yorkshire.

Now James' parents - Major Richard Gilbey and his wife Angela - are being backed by the Devizes MP Claire Perry in their call for harsher sentences for those who kill others through dangerous driving.

Malik admitted causing death by dangerous driving, while Mahmood was found guilty.

The defendants’ relatives celebrated in court when they realised the pair could be released after four years in prison.

James' parents are campaigning for cases of death by dangerous driving to be treated as manslaughter.

They have set up a petition to have the issue debated in Parliament, as well as one calling for more support for victims and their families.

James' father Richard says he's angry with the pair's ability to change their pleas in order to receive lighter punishment:

"They know what they've done wrong, they know they were driving erratically, they know they were racing, they know they were driving at 90mph, they know they killed James.

"Yet they get the opourtunity to chose when they want to plead guilty and it's as the case starts to go against them they then submit guilty pleas. And it's only in order to get a reduction in their sentence.

"It was heartbreaking to hear that our son's life in the judicial system equated to 4 years of Malik's and Mahmood's freedom."

James had been walking home after being out with a friend on Monday 13th July 2015.

5 minutes from his house he stopped to cross a road at a pelican crossing, at that moment he was hit by a VW Golf driven by Majid Malik.

Malik was racing Kaiz Mahmood on a road with a 40mph speed limit, the court heard how Malik was travelling at 79mph but earlier had been reaching speeds of up to 90mph.

The cars were so close together when James was hit by Malik, there was blood splattered on Mahmood's car.

Malik stopped briefly to retrieve his number plate which had fallen from the car but after spotting James lying on the road, returned to the vehicle and sped off.

Malik disposed of the car and burnt his clothes, it was only after the police had made a number of arrests that the pair came forwards.