Dentist admits causing pedestrian's death in crash

A dentist of "exemplary good character" has been told to expect a "substantial" jail sentence after pleading guilty to causing the death of a pedestrian in Leeds by dangerous driving.

Muzaffar Mir, 33, of Merton Avenue, Farsley, admitted causing the death of Joshua Wilson on Bradford Road in Stanningley on 11 April 2022 when he appeared at Leeds Crown Court earlier.

Mr Wilson, 26, was struck by a BMW M2 while he was crossing the road after getting off a bus at about 14:25 BST.

Aamir Khan, 35, denied driving a motor vehicle dangerously in relation to the crash when he appeared at the same court.

Prosecutor Paul Mitchell told the hearing both Mir's BMW M2 and a BMW X5 being driven by Mr Khan, of Grove Road, Shipley, had been "driving dangerously" in the lead-up to the crash.

Mr Mitchell said there was no suggestion Mr Khan was partly responsible for the death of Mr Wilson, however, and that Mir's car was "by far the fastest".

Prosecutors had believed the pair had been racing, he added, but admitted "that the evidence doesn't quite bear that out".

Defending Mir, Richard Wright KC said his client was a fully qualified dentist "of exemplary good character" with a young family.

With members of Mr Wilson's family present in court, Judge Simon Batiste told Mir the offence was "extraordinarily serious" and warned a "substantial custodial sentence appears overwhelmingly likely".

He handed him an interim driving ban and granted conditional bail ahead of sentencing on 16 October.

Judge Batiste set a trial date of 14 June 2027 for Mr Khan.

Granting him conditional bail, he said: "I'm sorry the trial date is so far away, but as you are aware there is a significant backlog of cases at this court."

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