A cocaine-fuelled driver has admitted killing a three-year-old girl after an all-night drugs binge at massage parlours.
Rawal Rehman, 35, had snorted ‘20 lines’ of the Class A drug in seven hours and visited two massage parlours before the tragedy the following morning.
Victim Louisa Palmisano was on the pavement in central Manchester with her parents when Rehman’s Mercedes Sprinter van collided with a tram before careering into them.
Rawal Rehman, who faces a possible life sentenced, pictured when previously jailed in 2017
Louisa Palmisano, known as Lulu, suffered severe head injuries and could not be saved
The youngster, known as Lulu, was on a family day out in the city when the crash happened on February 22. She was taken to hospital but died from her injuries.
Rehman – previously jailed for helping an associate in the wake of another fatal crash – fled the scene but was later arrested.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared today at Manchester Crown Court – and now faces a possible life sentence.
Rachel Shenton, prosecuting, told the court that prior to the crash Rehman had visited two massage parlours.
He took ‘20 lines of cocaine in seven hours’ at the first massage parlour before leaving at 6am and going to a second venue, Ms Shenton said.
The crash, on Mosley Street, happened around four hours later at 10am when Rehman failed to obey a stop sign and drove into the path of the oncoming tram.
Ms Shenton agreed when Judge Alan Conrad KC told the court that the prosecution will infer Rehman’s cocaine consumption meant his ‘driving was adversely affected’.
Passersby rushed to assist including a junior doctor and Lulu, from Burnley, Lancashire, was rushed to Manchester Royal Infirmary but her injuries – including a major head trauma – were too severe.
In a statement, her parents described her as the ‘sweetest, kindest, and most generous little girl’ who was ‘full of creativity and joy” and “loved going to nursery’.
They added: ‘Her absence has left a devastating void in our family—she was our only child, our whole world.
‘We were simply enjoying a happy family day out in Manchester when this unimaginable tragedy struck. In an instant, our lives were shattered beyond repair.
‘The pain of losing her is unbearable, and we miss her more than words can ever express.’
Lulu’s family say their loss is ‘unbearable’
Rehman was previously jailed for helping a Porsche driver who killed a pedestrian in a horrific hit-and-run collision.
Craig Rodger, 25, died after he was knocked down in Chorlton, Manchester, in March, 2014.
He was hit by a speeding Porsche Panamera being driven by Mohammed Basit Chaudry, 26, who had borrowed the car to impress a woman on a date.
As Mr Rodger lay dying in the road, Chaudhry arranged for Rehman to torch the dumped Porsche, thus destroying vital forensic evidence, while another man Mohammed Omayr, 33, who owned the car, drove him home so he had an alibi.
Rehman was jailed for 45 months at Manchester Crown Court in January 2017 after he admitted conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
But his jail term was cut to three years after both he and Omayr took their cases to the Court of Appeal, claiming their original sentences were too severe.
Judge Conrad ordered a pre-sentence report and Rehman, of Chorlton, Manchester, was remanded in custody to be for sentenced for Lulu’s death on May 27.
The maximum term which can be imposed for causing death by dangerous driving while under the influence of drink or drugs is life, under stiffer punishments introduced in 2022.
Abbie Clarke, Senior Crown Prosecutor for Crown Prosecution Service North West, said: ‘This was a devastating incident which shocked our community, and our thoughts go out to Lulu’s family who must bear this unimaginable loss.
‘Rawal Rehman ignored the stop signs and tram warning signs when he drove straight into the path of an oncoming tram, and it is clear his driving fell far short of what is expected of a competent and careful driver.
‘Rehman failed to take responsibility for his actions. He fled the scene in a taxi and denied that he drove dangerously in interview, only accepting responsibility on his third hearing before the court.
‘He must now face the consequences for his role in this wholly avoidable tragedy.’
Police traced Rehman from documents found in his van. He was arrested two days later, on 24 February.
In his police interview he accepted that he had been driving at the time of the collision but claimed his driving had not been dangerous – and said he fled the scene in ‘panic’.
