Driver cleared by jury after claiming electric car moved on its own and killed boy, 5

Ashenafei Demissie's was behind the wheel of his Volkswagen ID.4 outside his London flat when it moved forward and struck and killed Fareed Amir, and injured his own 12-year-old son, who had been playing outside.

Demissie, a minicab driver, claimed that he did not press the accelerator and the car "moved of its own accord, possibly because of a software malfunction."

The 53-year-old's claim was rejected by a traffic collision investigator who said he was "unable to find any defect that contributed to the collision."

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But following a week-long trial at the Old Bailey, Demissie was found not guilty of causing death and serious injury by careless driving.

After leaving the dock, the tearful defendant dropped to his knees and prayed before leaving court.

Jurors were not told that as a result of publicity, a dozen EV drivers got in touch with case lawyers to report concerns about their cars, including some with the same model that Demissie had.

Jurors previously heard the minicab driver had picked up his younger son from school on the afternoon of November 25, 2022.

He stopped his leased VV in the car park outside his flat in Borough, and waited for a parking space to become free.

The young boys had been playing nearby and Demissie had offered Fareed a lollipop before the vehicle suddenly moved forward, hitting them and crashing into five parked cars.

Fareed died from his injuries and the defendant’s son suffered several fractures to his lower limbs in the crash, which was witnessed by the boys' mothers.

In a police interview, the defendant said: "Suddenly the car jumped. I believe the car jumped because Fareed triggered the sensor.

"I had never had any mechanical problems with the car before. Just like a moment of madness. I don’t know what happened exactly.

"I tried to brake. It was like too late. It was just like a moment, second, whoosh and jump."

Giving evidence in court, Demissie said he felt "hurt" on learning that Fareed had died, telling jurors: "It is never-ending pain."

Defence barrister Stephen Knight asked: "Did you press the accelerator to cause this collision?" Demissie replied: "Never. I didn't touch it."

However, a Metropolitan Police traffic collision investigator said it was a case of "pedal misapplication" by the defendant and he found no evidence of a fault.

Mark Still told jurors: “I was unable to find any defect that contributed to the collision and I was unable to make the car accelerate without the driver driving.

"I found no faults with the operation of the vehicle, including steering, brake and acceleration.

"I was unable to make the vehicle move without any additional input. You had to make an action to make the vehicle move."

But under cross-examination, he said that he was not a computer expert nor a software engineer.

After the verdict, Judge Alexia Durran KC thanked Fareed's family in court for the "dignity" they had shown throughout the trial.

LBC has contacted Volkswagen for comment about issues raised in the case.