Teenage car thief detained for killing restaurant owner

A TEENAGER has been ordered to be detained for four years and nine months for being responsible for the death of a restaurant owner while stealing his car in Greater Manchester.

Mohammed Islam who owned the Marple Spice restaurant at Romiley in Stockport fell onto the road and run over his car while trying to stop the boy, now aged 15, from stealing it nine about months ago.

The incident took place on the late evening of January 8 when Islam, father of three, was delivering a takeaway to a customer on Lyme Grove in Romiley on his way home after finishing his day’s work.

When Islam was coming back to his Mercedes C-Class after handing over the food, the boy got into the car. As the teenager, a member of a gang of car thieves, was driving the car away, Islam clung to it in his bid to stop the boy. As the car was speeding away, he lost his grip and fell onto the road. Islam was run over by the car which he had received as a gift from his children on his 25th wedding anniversary.

Islam died two days after the incident, even as the boy tried to sell the car by posting adverts on social media, the Mirror reported.

Police took the boy into custody with help from CCTV camera footage and cell phone data. During the trial, the teenager confessed to manslaughter and conspiracy to steal. However, another member of the gang, Connor Reed, 19, who admitted conspiracy to steal, avoided jail.

Judge Nicholas Dean of Queen’s Court said Islam’s family has had a light extinguished in their life.

"The profound grief of the family will live with them for many years. I am quite sure that their father will never be forgotten," the judge said.