Man jailed for causing death of a pregnant mum on the M66

A man has been sentenced for causing the death of a pregnant woman and serious injuries to two children on the M66.

Adil Iqbal, 22, from Lancashire, was driving his vehicle dangerously on 13 May 2023. As seen by several witnesses, he was travelling at high speeds, very close to vehicles in front and undertaking on the A680, the A682 and the M66 motorway.

Around 3.09pm that afternoon, Frankie Jules-Hough, who was travelling with three children, pulled her Skoda vehicle over onto the hard shoulder to check a tyre. She was telephoning family to say she would be late when Iqbal’s vehicle collided with the rear of her vehicle.

The subsequent investigation found that Iqbal had actually been filming his own driving.

That footage, along with footage taken by other road users, was used by the collision investigator who calculated that the BMW driven by Iqbal was travelling at significantly above 92 miles per hour when he lost control of his car.

This resulted in the vehicle spinning and hitting the hard shoulder crash barrier before striking the rear of the Skoda.

As a result of the collision Ms Jules-Hough received skull and brain injuries. She never regained consciousness and died on 15 May 2023 at 2.25am. Her unborn child also died.

Two children, who were taken to Manchester Children's Hospital for treatment, both suffered brain injuries. One also had multiple skull fractures and the other child had a partial collapse of the left lung and a spinal ligament injury. The third child received minor injuries.

Iqbal was arrested at the scene of the collision and gave a no comment interview. He refused to give the police his pin number to access his phone, but officers were able to recover the footage.

Iqbal pleaded guilty to one of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

He was sentenced at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to 12 years in prison and disqualified from driving for 13 years with an extended re-test.

Nicola Wells, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “Iqbal showed a complete disregard for the safety of other road users and his driving had tragic consequences.

“The CPS worked with Greater Manchester Police to build a strong case which included eye-witness testimony, various pieces of footage showing the standard of driving and the forensic collision report. The strength of the evidence was such that Iqbal had no option but to accept his guilt.

“The devastating consequences for the family cannot be overstated. I can only hope that knowing Iqbal has been brought to justice will be some comfort at this difficult time. My thoughts remain with them.”