Javonnie Tavener, 23, has been sentenced – this is a breaking story
A driver who killed a four-year-old girl in a crash as she walked home from Eid with her family has been jailed.
Javonnie Tavener, 23, previously pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving after hitting four-year-old Mayar Yahia with his car on Upper Highgate Street, Birmingham, on April 14, 2024. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving as two other people – Mayar’s mother Sara and another mother, Awadia Hammed – were seriously hurt.
He also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of causing death while driving uninsured. Birmingham Crown Court previously heard that two vehicles collided and a Corsa smashed past a barrier and into the group.
Today, Tavener was jailed for a three years and 10 months for offences relating to careless driving and handed an additional 18 months jail term for assaulting and attempting to strangle his girlfriend in a violent assault several weeks later. He was also banned from driving for six years.
Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from the West Midlands Police serious collision investigation unit, previously said: “Mayar was just four years old when her life was tragically taken away from her. She was walking back with her family and friends after celebrating Eid.
“Pedestrians should be afforded and be reassured of protection when walking on the pavement and a split-second decision by Tavener to overtake where he did has led to this tragic chain of events. I would urge all drivers to think about this incident and how those decisions can have such catastrophic consequences.”
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