Man jailed for more than nine years after truck driver killed

A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to killing a lorry driver on the M6 in Staffordshire.

Ghulam Haider (pictured below), 22, from Dudley, was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday (June 20) to nine years and four months for causing death by dangerous driving.

Ghulam Haider. Source: Staffordshire Police

He was also given a five-year driving ban to start when he is released from prison.

Cliff Tamou, from Wigan, got out of his HGV after it broke down between junctions 15 and 16, near Stoke-on-Trent, on 27 February.

The 58-year-old died when a car, a Toyota Avensis, driven by Haider, crashed into the lorry shortly before 10pm.

Haider was taken to hospital with leg and facial injuries.

Chief Inspector Scott McGrath, from the road crime team at Staffordshire Police, said: “Our thoughts very much remain with Cliff’s family at this difficult time.

“This is a tragic case of a completely avoidable death on our roads which has left a family without their loved one.

“I want to take this opportunity to emphasise that if you get behind the wheel of a car and drive dangerously, the consequences can be catastrophic.”

Paying tribute to Tamou, his family said that the devoted husband, father to six children and five grandchildren, moved to the UK more than 30 years ago from New Zealand and settled in the Wigan area.

“He was a lorry driver for many years and loved playing, refereeing and coaching rugby,” they added.