He was doing speeds of more than 60mph on a 20mph stretch
A hit-and-run Mercedes driver has admitted smashing into another car while speeding, killing one man and injuring two children.
Albanian national Blerim Manallari, 24, was doing speeds of more than 60mph on a 20mph stretch on Hoe Street in Walthamstow, east London, before the collision on March 24 2024. He had tried to overtake on a bend on the road when he smashed into a Vauxhall Polo and fled the scene.
The driver of the Polo, 20-year-old Abdul Hasseeb Akram, was fatally injured, and two 16-year-old cousins who were passengers in the car, were also seriously hurt.
On Thursday, Manallari appeared in Court One of the Old Bailey and pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and two offences of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
The defendant, who had been behind the wheel of the Mercedes car without the owner’s permission, also admitted failing to stop at the scene of a road accident and driving without a licence and insurance.
Judge Nigel Lickley KC adjourned sentencing until October 1, warning Manallari that he faced “a custodial sentence of some duration”.
The court was told the defendant, of Tower Hamlets, east London, was a man of previous good character who had lived in the UK for eight years.
Judge Lickley granted him continued conditional bail.
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