Man jailed for Speeding in Supercar and Killing Cyclist

Tajinder Rai, aged 37, of Coventry, has been jailed for five and a half years for speeding which resulted in the death of a teenage cyclist.

An investigation revealed he had been driving close to motorway speeds in a 40 mph zone.

Rai was travelling along Binley Road, Coventry in a Nissan GT-R on October 5, 2018, when he hit 17-year-old cyclist Ryan Willoughby-Oakes at the junction along Allard Way.

The motorist stopped at the scene and passers-by administered first aid but Ryan was pronounced dead at the roadside.

A CCTV expert for West Midlands Police calculated that Rai was travelling at least speeds of 67 mph on the 40 mph road immediately before he struck the cyclist.

On November 13, 2019, Rai was found guilty of death by dangerous driving following a three-day trial.

Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said:

“A teenager who had his whole life ahead of him tragically lost his life due to a motorist not following the speed limit.

“There is no excuse to be travelling at nearly 70mph in a 40mph zone; this shows the importance of obeying speed limits and if Rai had been driving at 40mph, I believe he would have been able to slow down in time to see Ryan.

“Although nothing will bring Ryan back, we hope his family find some comfort in this outcome.”

On December 19, 2019, Rai was jailed for five and a half years. He was also banned from driving for seven years and nine months.

Following the sentencing, Ryan’s family thanked their friends for their support in a statement:

“We, Ryan’s family, are devastated. We could not face being in court but have been supported by our dear friends who have attended today and throughout the trial.

“We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the jury for their unanimous guilty verdict.

“We do not have the words to fully express the damage this has done to my family or, undoubtedly, the driver’s own family.

“We would ask everyone to think about their driving; to slow down, to realise that you are driving a lethal machine if you drive in this dangerous manner.

“Please drive within the speed limit, think about the environment you are driving in, expect the unexpected.”

“We beg you to please remember our beautiful Ryan Joseph Willoughby Oakes’ face and realise that your actions on the road have consequences.

“Finally we would like to thank, from the bottom of our hearts, the tremendous hard work by our barrister and prosecution team, the police collision investigators, the judge and jury.

“Our family liaison officer and our victim support lady; your compassion is beyond words and will never be forgotten.

“Our friends have been a constant support and to those dearest ones that attended the trial on our behalf; we thank and love you. We really couldn’t have negotiated this terrible journey without you.”