Man convicted after hitting cyclist who spent 18 months in coma before dying

A man who ran a red light and collided with a cyclist in Camden, London, has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment and disqualified from driving for six years.

28-year-old Angelo Kaminski fled the scene before attempting to cover his tracks, having hit Abdul Habdi just before midnight on January 10 2018.

Kaminski plead guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice. He was then found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice after colluding with his dad, younger brother and cousin as he tried to distance his involvement in the incident.

After hitting Mr Habdi, 49, at 23:35 at a junction, Kaminski drove off through another red light before abandoning his car less than 1km from the scene.

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Mr Habdi was rushed to hospital and treated for a fractured skull, bleed on the brain as well as a fractured pelvis. He remained in a coma for 18 months but died in hospital on July 13 2019, having never regained consciousness following the crash.

After the collision, Kaminski was picked up by his cousin and they drove to Stanstead Airport where his father and younger brother had just landed from Poland. They made up a story that the car Kaminksi had been driving had been stolen, which they reported to police, telling them they'd spent time trying to find the vehicle before reporting it missing.

Soon after, a resident where the car had been abandoned reported it to the police. Officers registered significant damage to the vehicle that was consistent with the collision and using forensic evidence linked Kaminski to it.

All four men were then arrested and charged, with Kaminski's father, cousin and younger brother also all being found guilty of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. Those three men were all sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment each.

Detective Inspector Cheryl Frost, who led the investigation, said: "Angelo Kaminski drove through a red light and struck Abdul Hadi, leaving him with catastrophic injuries. Instead of stopping and trying to help Mr Hadi, he thought only about himself, fleeing the scene and then, along with his family members, instigating attempts to cover his tracks.

"I would like to thank the Hadi family for all their support throughout the investigation into this tragic incident which has left them deprived of a loving husband and father."