A coward who killed a couple whilst making off from the police has been jailed for over eight years and disqualified from driving for at least a decade.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police caught him thanks to his DNA that was left on a drink can in the uninsured BMW he was driving.
Abdisalan Ali, 24, was speeding at 90mph on the M60 motorway when officers in an unmarked police vehicle spotted him and followed him off the motorway at junction two.
The officers activated their emergency equipment in an attempt to bring Ali to a stop.
Ali failed to stop, and a pursuit commenced towards the junction of Kingsway and Wilmslow Road in Parrswood before Ali collided with two pedestrians who were crossing Wilmslow Road.
After hitting the couple, Ali continued to drive at speed in an attempt to get away.
The 24-year-old then abandoned the BMW a short distance away from the scene on Berwick Avenue.
Emergency services attended, along with police officers who carried out first aid, but sadly 71-year-old Geraldine Birtles died at the scene.
Her husband, 64-year-old Stephen Birtles, was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries but sadly died on 4 March 2022.
Following a complex eight-week investigation, GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) were able to identify, locate and arrest Ali on Tuesday, 12 April 2022.
Speaking after the hearing, Sergeant Philip Shaw, Lead Investigator from our SCIU, said:
“No sentence imposed by the court will bring back Geraldine or Stephen Birtles, nor – understandably – satisfy a grieving family.
“Ali’s callous actions in the early hours of the 20 February have affected many lives.
“He had a choice on that morning; to comply with the request to stop by the police or, drive off in an attempt to avoid capture, and the detection of potential wrongdoing.
“His poor decision making lead to the loss of two lives. If you choose to flee, this case is a stark reminder of the consequences.”
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What a total slimeball. 8 years is far too short. No mention as to whether the car had an MoT or whether he had a licence. Either way, it is unlikely he will respect a ban and will try it on again.
Big question. Is he British? If not, he should be deported once his sentence is finished. To be honest, I would prefer that we did not go to the expense of jailing him but rather intern him pending permanent deportation. We have enough home grown scum without importing any more.
Absolutely agree there needs to be something put in place now !