42 year-old council worker Imtiaz Shah caused the death of a motor-biker when he chose to ignore his doctor's advice about a debilitating sleep disorder. Lancashire-based Shah was diagnosed with sleep apnoea which makes the muscles in the throat relax and narrow, inducing a deep sleep, and was told not to drive his 4x4 vehicle unless he received the effective treatment.
Shah consequently fell limp at the wheel, and crashed into Stephen Hayes leaving the then mechanic irrevocably paralysed.
Shah received 30 months in jail with his driver's license suspended for at least three years.
Hayes suffered severe injuries to the head and body and is now in a wheelchair unable to speak. The victim's devastated daughter told 'The Mail Online' “He (Shah) condemned my dad to a life sentence dealing with those injuries yet he'll be out of prison in a little more than a year (…) In a split second, my dad was robbed of his independence, much of his ability to communicate and to enjoy his life and his hobbies”.
