Speeding driver jailed after killing young mum in Derby
A speeding driver has been jailed after hitting and killing a woman in Derby.
A speeding driver, who collided with and killed a young mother in Derby, has been jailed for 10 years.
Armaan Asfar, 27, was caught driving at between 59 and 62mph in a 30-limit just before the crash, which happened on Douglas Street in the early hours of 13 February 2022.
Joanna Cieszynska, 35, was crossing the road to get to a taxi when the VW Golf hit her. Asfar had been attempting to overtake the taxi.
She suffered catastrophic injuries and died eight months later on 7 October 2022.
In a victim impact statement, a friend of Joanna’s said: “I wish Joanna was still alive, raising her children, living her life.
“But because of one person’s reckless and dangerous driving, all of that was taken away.
“Joanna has two boys, who were aged 11 and 13 at the time she was killed. She was raising them on her own after their father had already tragically passed away years earlier.
“She was a loving, hardworking single mother who gave everything she had to her children. Despite life’s challenges, she did everything possible to give them the best life she could. She worked hard, she cared deeply and she was determined to see her children grow up safe and happy. But that future was stolen.
“The offender drove at more than twice the speed limit, at motorway speeds, through the city. That is not just careless – it is deadly.
“Joanna was hit with such force that she was thrown a huge distance down the road. She suffered horrific injuries.
“Somehow, she clung to life for months. We all prayed and hoped for a miracle, but in the end after fighting for eight months, she could not survive.
“This was not an accident in the true sense of the word. This was the result of a conscious choice to drive at dangerous speeds in a place where families, children and everyday people go about their lives.
“The offender’s actions didn’t just take Joanna’s life – they shattered the lives of her children, her family, her friends and her community.”
Afsar was arrested at the scene and subsequently charged with causing death by dangerous driving. He denied the charge but changed his plea to guilty midway through a trial at Derby Crown Court last month (August 2025).
Detective Sergeant Dan Booth, who led the investigation, said: “This terrible case led to the death of a young woman, leaving her children without a parent as their father had tragically died some years earlier.
“Armaan Afsar drove at more than double the speed limit in a residential area. His actions were dangerous and selfish and this collision was entirely avoidable.
“Whilst I am pleased that Afsar has finally accepted what he has done, his initial not guilty plea meant that Joanna’s children, family and friends had to endure two years of turmoil, waiting for the trial to take place.
“Now he has admitted what he has done we finally have some justice for Joanna and while no sentence will ever bring her back, I hope today’s result brings some comfort to all of those who knew and loved her.”
The 27-year-old, of Malham Road, Derby, appeared at the same court for sentencing on Monday 8 September when he was jailed for 10 years. He was also banned from driving for eight years and eight months and must pass an extended test before driving again.