Car meets 'scourge of the earth' says father of teenager killed in Oldbury
Ben Corfield, 19, and Liberty Charris, 16, were killed by a dangerous driver in November 2022
The father of teenager who was killed by a dangerous driver in Oldbury has described illegal street racing as a "scourge of the Earth".
Damian Corfield's son Ben was 19 when Dhiya Al Maamoury, 56, lost control of his Nissan Skyline and crashed into him, killing him and friend 16-year-old Liberty Charris.
Ethan Kilburn and Ebonie Parkes, both in their 20s, were left seriously injured following the collision on November 20, 2022.
Mr Corfield said he hoped the 13-and-a-half-year jail sentence handed to Al Maamoury would be a warning to anyone thinking of taking part in car meets.
After Al Maamoury was jailed at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Friday, Mr Corfield said: ""We've all seen these type of car meets advertised out there. They are a danger to all road users and they seem to have progressed over the last 12 or 18 months.
"The incident that took Ben's life at Oldbury, there is an injunction there now and West Midlands Police are certainly making a strong stance on that to stamp this practice out.
"You should be able to, as a pedestrian, be awarded that safety and we applaud the work that West Midlands Police are doing."
While Mr Corfield said the sentencing "hasn't delivered a conclusion for us as a family", he said he believed the judge had set a precedent with his sentence.
He said: "Ben's gone, we've lost our son, the light of our lives. Nothing will take that pain away, and it's the most excruciating, heart-wrenching pain, every second of the day.
"(The sentence) was far more than what us four families were expecting, and this has got to be a warning to anybody that's involved in this type of action, that it won't be tolerated.
"This guy showed no remorse so we are certainly happy with the sentence today, but even if it was life, it couldn't make us feel any better, but we do appreciate the sentence today and everybody that has been involved in it."
In a powerful victim impact statement read out in court, Liberty’s father said: “Liberty had so much to live for and to give, she treated everyone and everything with love and kindness.
“The fact she is gone is devastating to me, her whole family and anyone else that had the pleasure of Liberty in their lives during her short life of sixteen years. Liberty will be forever remembered by so many.
“The family bond could not have been stronger and that is why the loss of Liberty is impacting us all so dramatically.”
Head of Roads Policing at West Midlands Police, Superintended Gareth Mason said: “Al-Maamoury was 54 years old which proves its no longer ‘boy racers’ who are driving dangerously and speeding on our roads.
“This case illustrates how dangerous street racing events are, and we are committed to doing everything we can to tackle these illegal meet ups.
“We have recently seen an injection of resources into roads policing at the force, with more staff, more vehicles and more technology.
“Under Operation Hercules we are making arrests, stinging tyres, revoking licenses and gaining intelligence about where street racing events regularly happen.
“However, we need the public’s help. If you have any dash cam or mobile phone footage of any street racing events or dangerous driving then please submit it to us.”