The driver of an electric car has been found not guilty of causing the death of a five-year-old boy, after he claimed the car “jumped” forward on its own, crashing into the boy and also injuring his own 12-year-old son.
Minicab driver, Ashenafei Demissie, 53, was behind the wheel of a Volkswagen ID.4 when it suddenly accelerated forward, killing Fareed Amir and seriously injuring his son, on November 25 2022.
During the week‑long trial at the Old Bailey, a prosecution crash expert told the court the collision occurred when Demissie had accidentally pressed the accelerator.
However, Demissie maintained that the vehicle moved forward on its own, suggesting a possible software fault.
After five hours of deliberation, the jury found him not guilty of causing death and serious injury by careless driving.
Jurors were not informed that, following publicity around the case, around a dozen electric‑vehicle owners had contacted the legal teams to raise concerns about their own cars – including several who drove the same model as Demissie.
The court previously heard that Demissie had collected his younger son from school on the afternoon of 25 November. He parked his leased Volkswagen ID.4 in the car park outside his home in Borough, south London, and waited for a space to become available.
Fareed Amir, 5, died in 2022 after being hit by a VW ID.4 which the driver claimed ‘jumped forward’ on its own (Family Handout)
The two boys were playing nearby, and Demissie had just offered Fareed a lollipop when the vehicle suddenly moved forward, striking them before crashing into five parked cars.
Fareed later died from his injuries, and Demissie’s son sustained multiple fractures to his lower legs. The crash was witnessed by both boys’ mothers.
In a police interview, Demissie said: “Suddenly the car jumped. I believe the car jumped because Fareed triggered the sensor. I had never had any mechanical problems with the car before.”
Speaking about the incident, Demissie said it was “just like a moment of madness. I don’t know what happened exactly. I tried to brake. It was like too late. It was just like a moment, second, whoosh and jump.”
He told officers his son said: “Daddy hurts, daddy hurts, broken, daddy hurts”, as he covered his son so he would not see his injury,” PA reported.
The car struck 5-year-old Fareed Amir, the driver’s own 12 year-old son and then five other parked cars (Family Handout)
Giving evidence in court, Demissie told jurors that Fareed’s death “is never-ending pain”.
Defence barrister Stephen Knight asked: “Did you press the accelerator to cause this collision?”
Demissie replied: “Never. I didn’t touch it.”
A Metropolitan Police traffic collision investigator told the court he believed the incident was caused due to a case of “pedal misapplication” by the defendant and said he found no evidence of a technical fault with the vehicle.
Mark Still said: “I was unable to find any defect that contributed to the collision and I was unable to make the car accelerate without the driver driving.
“I found no faults with the operation of the vehicle, including steering, brake and acceleration. I was unable to make the vehicle move without any additional input. You had to make an action to make the vehicle move.”
Mr Still added that he was unable to find anything that caused the car to move forward without the driver physically doing something to it.
However, under cross-examination, he said that he was not a computer expert nor a software engineer.
Following the verdict, Judge Alexia Durran KC thanked Fareed’s family in court for the “dignity” they had shown throughout the trial.
The Independent has contacted VW for comment.
