Two men have been sentenced to more than 24 years in prison for their involvement in a reckless driving incident that led to the death of a Nigerian man living in the United Kingdom, Sylvester Abayomi, in Manchester.
The convicted men, 20-year-old Uways Hussain and 23-year-old Usmon Mahmood, were sentenced after being found responsible for a fatal crash that occurred on Kingsway, Manchester, in March 2026.
According to a statement released by the Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Hussain was handed an 11-year and eight-month prison sentence, while Mahmood received 12 years and nine months behind bars.
Police said Mahmood’s conviction is believed to be among the first in the UK in which a passenger was successfully prosecuted for aiding and abetting an offence of causing death by dangerous driving.
Investigators revealed that the pair spent the night before the collision driving recklessly across South Manchester while recording videos of their actions.
Authorities said Mahmood owned the Volkswagen Golf involved in the crash and allowed Hussain to remain behind the wheel throughout the night.
Evidence recovered from mobile phones showed the two men repeatedly travelling at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour on roads where the legal limit was 30mph.
Some of the footage allegedly captured the vehicle reaching speeds above 130mph while the pair ignored traffic signals and weaved through other road users.
According to GMP, recordings from that night showed both men engaging in dangerous behaviour, including inhaling from balloons while travelling at high speed.
One video reportedly captured Mahmood doing so while seated in the passenger seat, while another appeared to show Hussain participating while driving.
Police said the fatal collision occurred at approximately 4:36 a.m. at the intersection of Green End Road and Kingsway.
Sylvester Abayomi was reportedly driving to work when he entered the junction on a green traffic signal. Moments later, his vehicle was struck by the speeding Volkswagen Golf, which had allegedly driven through a red light at an extremely high speed.
Emergency services responded quickly to the scene, but Abayomi died from injuries sustained in the crash.
Investigators later uncovered evidence suggesting that immediately after the collision, the two men discussed escaping from the scene and concealing evidence.
According to GMP, an automatic crash detection alert triggered by an Apple Watch worn by Hussain recorded conversations between the pair shortly after the impact.
During the recording, they allegedly discussed leaving the scene, removing evidence from the vehicle and even reporting the car as stolen.
Police added that the pair subsequently arranged an Uber ride in an attempt to leave the area.
Authorities, however, acted swiftly. Officers located and arrested both suspects within 12 minutes of receiving the first emergency call regarding the crash.
Further forensic analysis of the Volkswagen Golf’s onboard data showed that the vehicle had reached 139mph moments before colliding with Abayomi’s car.
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