Bus driver jailed for tram crash death (From Your Local Guardian)

Croydon bus driver jailed for tram crash death

4:40pm Wednesday 2nd December 2009 in Top Stories By Harry Miller

Croydon bus driver jailed for tram crash death

A bus driver who caused the death of a man after running a red light has been sentenced to four years in prison for death by dangerous driving.

Andrzej Karcz, 28, was decapitated after being thrown from the front window of the bus when bus driver Raouf Mraidi, 29, ran a red light and slammed into a tram.

Mraidi, who was absent from the trial, was last seen on Saturday, November 21 when he went to the house of his surety with his two brothers.

The collision, in September 2008, sent the 468 bus careering down George Street, smashing into shop fronts before it finally came to a halt when it crashed into a parked BMW.

After reviewing the evidence the jury took 25 minutes at Croydon Crown Court to find Mraidi guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

He was sentenced, in his absence, to four years in prison.

He was also disqualified from driving for five years which was extended indefinitely until he completes a extended driving test.

Judge Warwick McKinnon said: “My heart goes out to the family of the deceased. They will never get over this.”

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