'Justice has been done' say family of man dragged to death by minicab as driver is jailed

Jailed: Matab Uddin was sentenced to eight years in prison after he was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving
Metropolitan Police Service
Ben Morgan28 October 2015

The family of a City executive dragged to his death by an unlicensed minicab today said justice had been done after his killer was jailed for eight years.

Oliver Farrell, 27, was leaning into the car’s window as the driver accelerated away. He was dragged 100 yards along Essex Road, Islington, before being flung onto the tarmac.

Matab Uddin, 59, who had previous convictions for fare touting, left him lying in the street.

Mr Farrell, a senior executive at recruitment agency Jam, died three days later in hospital in November 2013.

Uddin was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving at Inner London Crown Court.

Mr Farrell’s elder brother Ben today said “no punishment will bring Oli back” after Uddin was jailed for eight years.

Jailed: Matab Uddin was sentenced to eight years in prison after he was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving
Met Police

He said: “Having to experience nearly two years to arrive at this position has been a hugely traumatic and terrible experience for us all.

“However it is incomparable to the pain we have felt and will continue to feel from the fact that Oli’s future has been taken from him and that such a bright light in our own lives will never be with us again.

“No punishment will ever bring Oli back, however we seek justice for the benefit of greater society to reduce the chances of other families having to experience what we have been through and will continue to go through.

“Oli was a fair man and would want nothing more and nothing less than this.”

The court heard Uddin was driving an unlicensed minicab when he picked up Mr Farrell from Old Street after attending his brother’s birthday night out.

Shortly afterwards Uddin pulled over in Essex Road for Mr Farrell to use a cash machine but pulled away, leaving him at the roadside.

Uddin returned moments later and CCTV showed Mr Farrell leaning into the passenger window to speak to the driver, who then accelerated away down the road.

Mr Farrell clung onto the window until losing his grip and hitting his head on the floor, while Uddin crossed a central reservation to flee the scene.

He handed himself into police the following day after another taxi driver took down his registration number.

Mr Farrell was originally from Derbyshire and played county tennis as well as being an avid football and rugby player.

More than 50 friends visited the former Sheffield Hallam student in hospital in the days before he died.

They described him as a “tremendous bloke” who loved travel, having visited 37 countries, and “squeezed more into his 27 years than most people do a lifetime”.

Detective Sergeant Chris Osborne of the Met’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit praised the Farrell family’s dignity during the last two years.

He said: “This case highlights the dangers posed by unlicensed minicabs.

“People trying to make their way home, especially late at night should only use pre-booked licensed minicabs or black cabs.

“This is a tragic case for all involved and it stemmed from the unscrupulous actions of Mr Uddin.

“Our investigation showed he was illegally touting and on this occasion drove off without any regard for Mr Farrell’s safety.

“He then failed to stop and made clear attempts to flee the scene.”

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