Hit and run driver who left cyclist with "horrendous" injuries jailed
Sheeba Bukuru was overtaking a car at speed when he struck the victim in Cambridge
A hit-and-run driver who left a cyclist with “horrendous” injuries, from which she may never recover, has been jailed.
Sheeba Bukuru, 32, was overtaking a car at speed when he struck the victim at about 6.20pm on 24 November last year.
He was on the wrong side of a “keep left” bollard and the woman had been on her bike crossing Fulbourn Road, in Cambridge.
Bukuru sped off in his black BMW, leaving the cyclist lying on the ground, bleeding and unconscious.
The victim was rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge, where she spent months being treated for a fractured skull, bleed on the brain, broken pelvis, arm, leg and ribs, a dislocated shoulder and damaged lungs.
Fifteen minutes after the collision, Bukuru called police reporting his car had been stolen at knifepoint.
He claimed he was approached by a man who ordered him to get out his car before driving off in it.
However, officers found the BMW abandoned in Limekiln Road, several streets away from the scene of the collision.
The car was found to have damage consistent with the crash, and officers discovered the collision had been witnessed by members of the public.
And when officers arrested Bukuru at 11.20pm on the evening of the incident, they found the key for the BMW in his bag.
Last month, Bukuru, of Eland Way, Cambridge, pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, failing to stop, and perverting the course of justice.
On Monday (11 August) at Cambridge Crown Court, he was sentenced to four years in prison and handed a five-year driving ban.
DC Fay Millen, from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Bukuru’s decision to perform a dangerous and unnecessary overtake directly resulted in the victim suffering horrendous injuries, from which she may never fully recover.
“Thanks to the actions of police, Bukuru was quickly located and arrested. He falsely told police his car had been stolen in a robbery and only when presented with the evidence, he admitted he was the driver and there had been no robbery. This investigation took significant policing resources to investigate, all because Bukuru didn’t want to admit to his actions.
“I hope this result gives the victim some sense of closure, however, I acknowledge no sentence will undo the injuries he needlessly caused her on that day.”