Man who doubled speed limit jailed after double fatal collision

A man who caused the death of a husband and wife following a collision in Stone has been jailed.

Zia Akbar, aged 31, from Plaistow, London, was driving his Mercedes AMG car along the A34 Fillybrooks on 16 January 2022 when he collided with a Ford C-Max vehicle that emerged from the junction of Yarnfield Lane, Stone, by the Wayfarer pub.

His Mercedes struck the driver’s side of the Ford which was spun into the opposing carriageway.

The driver, Barry Salt, aged 73, and his wife, Megan Salt, aged 74, from Wednesbury, were taken to hospital as a result.

Sadly, they both died as a result of their injuries. 

(Barry Salt (left) and Megan Salt (right))

A 19-year-old woman in the front passenger seat of the Ford suffered minor injuries in the incident. A 26-year-old woman, who was a front seat passenger of the Mercedes, suffered serious injuries from which she continues to recover.

Analysis of the Mercedes showed that in the five seconds prior to the impact, Akbar was coasting at 101-mph, braking to 75-mph at the point of impact with the Ford – despite a 50-mph speed limit on the road.

Akbar initially pleaded not guilty in January 2023 to the charge of causing death by dangerous driving, arguing his driving was careless but not dangerous.

A trial was set for October 2023 but in June that year Akbar changed his plea to guilty for the more serious offences. He later asked for his guilty plea to be accepted on the basis that the Ford car had pulled out in front of him and stopped in the carriageway leaving him insufficient time to react.

A Newton hearing was held at Stafford Crown Court on 13 June 2024 in order to hear evidence of the disputed facts. Following witness accounts and evidence provided by the forensic collision investigator, PC Mulvey, it was determined that, had Akbar been travelling at the speed limit, he would have stopped short of the collision.

Akbar was remanded into custody and was sentenced today (Tuesday 9 July) at Stafford Crown Court to eight-years-and-six-months behind bars. He was also disqualified from driving for nine-years-and-eight-months with a requirement to take an extended re-test.

PC Gavin Knott, from the Staffordshire and West Midlands Serious Collision Investigation unit, said: “Akbar drove at a speed that was wholly dangerous. It was a cold night, with temperatures not much above freezing but regardless Akbar drove at over twice the speed limit into a sweeping bend approaching a busy junction that he was fully aware was there.

“The collision was avoidable if Akbar had driven to the conditions that night. His actions have devastated the family of Barry and Megan.”

Tragically, 45 people lost their lives in road collisions across our county in 2023. We’re committed to proactively policing our roads and taking action against those putting other motorists at risk.

Recently, we launched our Look Again campaign in a bid to reduce the number of serious and fatal collisions in Staffordshire. We arrested 70 people on suspicion of a number of driving offences over the course of the campaign.

To read more about it, visit: Look Again to keep Staffordshire’s roads safe | Staffordshire Police