Dangerous driver who caused fatal collision in Flore sent to prison for over three years

A 29-year-old man has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison after causing a fatal collision in Flore in October.

Juljan Shkambi, aged 29, of Clarendon Road, Luton, appeared at Northampton Crown Court on Monday, January 9 after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

The fatal collision took place on the A45 bypass at Flore at around 10.55pm on Monday, October 3 when a red Vauxhall Zafira - driven by Shkambi with two male passengers - was travelling southbound towards Northampton.

The court heard that Shkambi - falsely believing the road to be a dual carriageway - crossed over to the opposite side of the 60mph single carriageway to overtake a HGV vehicle.

Shortly later, Shkambi’s vehicle collided head-on with a silver Ford Fiesta. The driver of the Ford - a man in his 40s - suffered catastrophic injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Andrew Fitch-Holland, prosecuting, told the court that Shkambi and the two passengers all fled the car on foot.

A police dog team was deployed and located the three men in a field towards the M1 around 40 minutes later, where the defendant was found laying in the grass.

Shkambi was arrested along with two other men, aged 48 and 43, in connection with the fatal collision.

The court heard that, when interviewed, Shkambi admitted that he was the driver of the car and that he was tired after a full day’s work in Leicester when he made the decision to commence the three hour drive to Luton, where he was living.

He told officers he did not switch with either of the passengers because he “just wanted to get home,” the court heard.

Mr Fitch-Holland said the victim’s death had a “profound and traumatic impact” on his family, who attended court for Shkambi’s sentence hearing.

The court heard that the weather conditions - at the time of the incident - were fine, the road was dry and visible markings indicated that it was a single carriageway.

It was, however, not illuminated and Shkambi - being an Albanian national who illegally entered the UK in 2021 - did not possess a UK driving licence.

Liam Muir, in mitigation, said: “This is a genuine mistake and he is extremely remorseful. He is someone who thought he was abiding by the laws of the road and he is distraught by the ramifications of his actions.”

The defence barrister said that witnesses - professional drivers - described Shkambi’s overtaking of the HGV as “careful” and he was driving below the speed limit when he did this.

His Honour Judge Mayo DL, sentencing, said: “It is perfectly plain to anybody that the victim was a much loved man who was - and remains - irreplaceable. He was a professional driver with an impeccable record and I do not seek to put a value on his life because it was completely beyond valuable.”

Shkambi was sentenced to three years and six months in prison. He was disqualified from driving for a further five years. The court heard that Shkambi may also be liable to face deportation.