A GRIEF-STRICKEN father whose son was left to die in the wreckage of a smashed-up car spoke of his heartbreak at the killer driver's "lenient" 16-month jail sentence for crashing another high-powered vehicle and injuring two people.
Amjad Malik said his family had been left broken by the tragic death of his son Saliq, 15, who was a passenger in a VW Golf GTi driven by Syam Khan when it lost control in Barkerend, Bradford, on September 12, 2014.
Saliq, a front seat passenger, was left fatally injured in the wreckage by the 17-year-old Khan who fled the scene only to return to collect his phone.
Khan was estimated to be doing twice the speed limit when he crashed in Gilpin Street.
![Asian Image: Saliq Malik (left) and the wreckage of the fatal car crash in Gilpin Street]( "Asian Image: Saliq Malik (left) and the wreckage of the fatal car crash in Gilpin Street")
Saliq Malik (left) and the wreckage of the fatal car crash in Gilpin Street
He was sentenced to four years custody at Bradford Crown Court for causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
This week, Mr Malik was appalled to read that Khan, now 26, of Kimberley Street, Bradford Moor, was before the same court for a very similar piece of dangerous driving.
He was spotted by the police in an unregistered and uninsured Audi RS4 on the city's Jackson Street at 10.15am on November 28, prosecutor Alisha Kaye said.
Khan accelerated off in the blue car pursued by the police who activated their sirens and blue lights. He did 60mph in a 30 zone and crashed into a VW Golf and a VW Polo on Leeds Road.
He lost control of the Audi and ploughed into a school wall on Upper Nidd Street, Bradford Moor.
Khan attempted to flee from the scene but was chased by police and handcuffed.
![Asian Image: An image of the latest smash, in which an Audi was left embedded in the wall of a Bradford school]( "Asian Image: An image of the latest smash, in which an Audi was left embedded in the wall of a Bradford school")
An image of the latest smash, in which an Audi was left embedded in the wall of a Bradford school (Image: T&A)
Mr Malik told of his shock at reading that he had been jailed for just 16 months after admitting dangerous driving and driving unlicensed and uninsured.
Labelling the sentence as 'too lenient' he said: "It's absolutely heart breaking that he's been let off again. It seems as though he doesn't see the consequences of his actions.
![Asian Image: Police recovering the red VW Golf after the crash that killed Saliq Malik]( "Asian Image: Police recovering the red VW Golf after the crash that killed Saliq Malik")
Police recovering the red VW Golf after the crash that killed Saliq Malik
"We are a broken family because of him.
"He doesn't know what it's been like for us as parents, losing a child, for his siblings to have lost a brother. He's already killed someone and now he nearly took two other people out."
![Asian Image: Amjad Malik, whose son was killed in a car crash by a driver who has been back in court for causing another smash]( "Asian Image: Amjad Malik, whose son was killed in a car crash by a driver who has been back in court for causing another smash")
Amjad Malik, whose son was killed in a car crash by a driver who has been back in court for causing another smash
Mr Malik joined the growing number of people in Bradford, including judges and MPs, in condemning the maximum two-year jail sentence for dangerous driving. Once the mandatary credit has been given for a guilty plea, offenders are behind bars for only a few months, if locked up at all.
Since his son's death, Mr Malik has become a campaigner and activist to make the roads of Bradford safer.
He called on people, particularly young men, to drive safely on the Bradford district's roads.
He added: "I've taken a bit of a step back because of my own ill health, but it needs to stop. Drivers need to be careful."
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