The “miserably wretched” Sheffield brothers who wiped out a 16-month-old “angel” and his “doting” dad
The toddler and his 35-year-old father had been on a visit to London together and were just “yards” from their Darnall home when brothers Elliott and Declan Bower smashed into their car in a VW Golf
Nearly a decade has passed since 16-month-old “angel” Usman bin Adnan and his “doting” dad Adnan Jarral were wiped out by a “miserably wretched” Sheffield criminal in a “catastrophic” car crash.
The toddler and his 35-year-old father had been on a visit to London together and were just “yards” from their Darnall home when brothers Elliott and Declan Bower smashed into their car in a VW Golf.
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Usman’s grandparents Vlasta Dunova and Miroslav Duna, aged 41 and 50, were also killed in the smash while mum Tahreem, 32, the older couple's daughter Nikola, 22, and her daughter Livia, aged three, all suffered devastating injuries.
Sixteen-month-old “angel” Usman’s family described him as a “cheerful little boy who always had a smile on his face” and a “very happy boy with such a cute smile”.
His dad Adnan was described by his shattered widow as a “full of life,” “humble and polite” man who worked hard in a factory to provide for his family and “a great father and husband”.
Lawless yob Elliott Bower, 19, was at the wheel of the VW Golf with cloned plates when it zoomed into Adnan’s black Touran at 79mph during a police pursuit as it turned into Bannham Road, off Main Road in Darnall, on November 9, 2018.
The Bower brothers had been pursued for nearly six miles “at massive speeds far in excess of 100mph” after being spotted in the car by officers on Sheffield Parkway.
Upon impact Adnan’s Touran was so mangled its roof had to be cut off and belongings from the vehicle were strewn across the road.
Jailing the brothers along with fellow passenger and accomplice Mason Cartledge, 18, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC described the smash as “breathtaking in its horror”.
He said it was “one of the worst examples of dangerous driving” it had been his “misfortune to consider,” adding: “You have visited a catastrophe of the highest magnitude on two families.”
The Bower brothers were already wanted at the time of the terrible crash for a string of serious crimes including a serious assault.
Two weeks before, South Yorkshire Police had launched a media appeal to ask for the public's assistance in finding them and thee brothers responded by posting a picture of themselves on social media, mocking officers' efforts to find them.
Declan, 23, who had an “extensive criminal history” including aggravated vehicle taking and burglary, was trapped in the car with a broken leg and wrist. Elliott tried to flee the scene with Cartledge but both were detained.
Elliott told officers: “You can remand me if you like, I’ll get out and I’ll do bang the same thing again and you lot will have to chase me”.
Elliott was sentenced to 11-and- a-half years in a young offenders institution, having admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Declan and Mason Cartledge both admitted aggravated vehicle taking in which death was caused and were sentenced to seven years and 10 months.
Speaking at the Bodmin Street mosque which hundreds of well-wishers visited to offer their condolences a week after the crash, Adnan's family paid an emotional tribute to the doting father and his youngest son.
His uncle, Shafqat Mirza, said: “Adnan was a lovely man who added sparkle to everyone's life, whatever the situation. He was such a positive person, who was full of life and loved talking to people and helping them.”
“Everyone who knew him says how you would never see anger on his face.”
Mr Mirza told how his nephew, from Pakistan, came to England around five prior to study business management.
He quickly married after a whirlwind romance and was a devoted father to the two sons he and his wife had together, aged one and three, and stepfather to her six-year-old son from a previous marriage.
He worked as a packer at Pennine Foods in Crystal Peaks and was a proud dad, constantly sharing photos and videos of his three boys on Facebook.
Another uncle, Tariq Mirza, said: “Adnan would always liven up any room, and his death has left a big gap in all our lives. I keep expecting to see him walk through the door with that amazing smile on his face.
“Usman was a cheerful little boy, who always had a smile on his face. Adnan's other kids have lost a very loving father. Even now, they're asking ‘where's Daddy?’”
Adnan's cousin, Imran Mirza, said: “He was extremely cheerful and caring, and he embraced life to the full.”
“He was only came to England about five years ago but he made such an impact in that time. He was so well loved and we're grateful to everyone who's come to pay their respects. For me, losing him feels like losing an arm.
“Usman was a very happy boy with such a cute smile, and we've lost an angel in him.”
Another cousin, Akeel Mirza, said: “It's devastating. He was a young man with a wife and three kids who had his whole life ahead of him.”