Speedster tears newlyweds apart

By LOUISA CLEAVE

When Jasmeen Basha was introduced to Mohammed Irshad Khan by his sister she fell in love and knew they would marry.

The devoted couple waited 18 months, until her 21st birthday, to become engaged and then two months later they married.

They lived with Mr Khan's family in New Lynn and planned their future together - careers, a house and children.

But a month into their marriage, 24-year-old Mr Khan was killed by speeding driver Zane Richard Semple as the couple drove home from work.

In the Auckland District Court on Friday, Semple, a 32-year-old painter and unlicensed driver, was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison.

He had pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing death, two charges of dangerous driving causing injury and one charge of failing to stop and ascertain injury.

Mrs Khan cannot remember the moment Semple's vehicle hit them on Hillsborough Rd in May.

She suffered a severe head injury and has no memory of the five minutes before the accident, or the following three weeks.

She was released from hospital for her husband's funeral but has only a "dream-like vision" of his lifeless body.

"I don't remember anyone telling me he had passed away," she said. "That's more hard for me ... I feel there's nothing at all."

Her husband was passionate about cars and worked at GM Motors in Otahuhu.

Mrs Khan says he was a kind-hearted man who was sincere and always had a smile on his face.

"He used to make everyone laugh."

On the afternoon of May 17, he picked up his wife from the Mangere branch of ASB because her car had broken down.

As they drove home along Hillsborough Rd, a 50km/h zone, Semple came towards them driving at up to 120km/h, say witnesses.

He lost control on a corner and crossed the centreline, ploughing head-on into the Khans' car.

Semple ran away, also leaving his own passenger injured, and flagged down a taxi to take him to Panmure.

He eluded police for 12 days despite publicity seeking the driver.

Mrs Khan is still recovering from the head injury. She says she suffers from mood swings and finds it difficult to sleep.

Time change for sentencing angers victim's grieving family

Auckland District Court managers are carrying out an investigation after the family of Mohammed Irshad Khan missed the sentencing of the man responsible for his death.

Zane Semple appeared for sentencing on Friday. About 12 of Mr Khan's family, the Herald and the police officers who investigated the crash arrived for the sentencing at 2.15pm and found that Semple had been sentenced that morning.

Mr Khan's mother and family had attended every court appearance since Semple's arrest in May.

They would wait for hours in court for an appearance that often lasted only a few seconds.

The sentencing on Friday was their closure on the case and the distraught family expressed anger about the time change to court staff and police.

They received apologies and were promised that any staff member found to be at fault would face disciplinary action.

Heading down a fatal track

Police say Zane Richard Semple had a long history of driving offences before the fatal crash last May 17.

Deported from Australia four years ago after clocking up 72 convictions.

January 2001: Convicted of drink-driving and disqualified from driving for six months.

Six months later: Convicted for driving while disqualified and banned for another six months.

January 2003: Convicted of drink-driving and disqualified for nine months until October.

September 15, 2003: Caught driving while disqualified and again convicted.

Two days later, and again last November: Stopped for drink-driving.