A Ghanaian delivery driver who lives in the UK has been jailed for six years after driving through a ‘no entry’ sign and killing a five-year-old boy in Leeds.

Colin Agyei, 32, was making deliveries on July 7, 2022, when he drove the wrong way along Back Camberley Street in Beeston.

The court heard he used the route because it saved time.

Agyei’s vehicle struck Abdullah Ebrahim as the boy crossed the road. Abdullah was taken to hospital, where he later died.

Agyei was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving by a jury last month and was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday. He was also banned from driving for more than seven years.

Sentencing him, Judge Tom Bayliss KC said Agyei had taken Abdullah’s life because using the wrong route saved him time.

“The one-way system was clearly signed and you had ample opportunity to observe these signs,” the judge said.

He said the road was narrow and separated the back gardens of two rows of terraced houses.

Judge Bayliss said Agyei was not speeding but his speed was inappropriate for the road. He also accepted that Agyei was remorseful and had been “oblivious” to the collision.

“This was a little boy,” he said.

Abdullah’s mother, Salma Begum, told the court that she continued to remember seeing her son after the collision.

“I will never forget the image of Abdullah lying on the floor on his own. That image has stayed with me for four years. It is something I carry every single day,” she said.

Begum also questioned why Agyei did not stop after the collision.

She said she had heard his account change during the trial and did not believe he had been truthful about what happened.

The jury reached its guilty verdict in about 40 minutes.

Begum said the four-year legal process had also been difficult for her family.

“Four years have passed, but my grief has not passed. I still miss my son. I still think about him every day,” she said.

Detective Sergeant Steve Suggit of West Yorkshire Police’s Major Collision Enquiry Team said the crash could have been avoided if Agyei had followed the no-entry sign.

He said Agyei was estimated to have been travelling at around 15mph, while police testing found that vehicles could not safely travel on the road at speeds above 7mph because of its layout.

Agyei had admitted a lesser careless driving offence but was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving.

Suggit said no sentence could compensate Abdullah’s family for his death.

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