Fatal hit-and-run driver thought he had hit animal, court hears

Hit-and-run driver Ashton Friend 'did not realise' he had struck person, court hears In short: A hit-and-run driver has apologised to his victim's family in court, which heard he did not initially realise he had hit a person when he left the scene of the crash in Adelaide's north-east. Ashton Friend hit international student Samia Malik, who had been kneeling on North East Road at Hillcrest before the crash in May last year. What's next? The court heard Friend was not affected by drugs or alcohol and was not speeding at the time, and both the prosecution and defence agreed a suspended jail term would be an appropriate penalty. A young driver who hit and killed a woman who had been kneeling on a road in Adelaide's north-east has issued an apology in court, saying he could "only imagine the indescribable pain" he had caused. The court also heard from the victim's sister, who described her overwhelming grief at losing "a remarkable young woman". Ashton Friend, 20, of Banksia Park, hit international student Samia Malik, who had been kneeling on North East Road at Hillcrest for about four minutes before the crash about 11pm on May 6 last year. Friend's defence barrister, Jane Abbey KC, told South Australia's District Court the circumstances were "very unusual" and that her client had neither seen Ms Malik nor realised he had hit her when he was driving home from his girlfriend's house. "He was checking his rear vision, but he did not see her — he should have," Ms Abbey said. "He was absolutely at a loss about what had just happened. He hadn't been aware that there was something on the road. He heard this noise. "What he hoped was that it had been an animal, or something like that." Ms Abbey said Friend's car had sustained "relatively little" damage, which was consistent with his belief he had hit a small animal. "He did not think he had hit a person. Initially, he just did not realise he had hit a person," she said. There was no explanation given in court as to why Ms Malik was kneeling on the road. Driver 'deeply sorry' to family Ms Abbey said that, within the next two days, Friend saw a news report about what had happened but was in a "state of paralysis" and "just could not reconcile what he had done". The court heard it was not until a week later that he was identified by police and arrested. It also heard Friend was not affected by drugs or alcohol, was not speeding at the time, took full responsibility and had pleaded guilty "at the earliest opportunity" to charges of causing death by careless use of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident after causing death. During the hearing, Friend stood in the dock, and read aloud an apology, telling the court he was "deeply sorry" to Ms Malik's family for the loss he had caused, as well as his "actions and inactions" on the night. "I can only imagine the indescribable pain and trauma I have caused,"he said. "I will have to carry my failures with me for as long as I live." Friend also told the court he knew no apology could undo what had occurred or bring Ms Malik back, but he would continue to "carry the weight" of what he had done. "I am deeply sorry for the life that was lost, the grief and the trauma caused to Samia's family and loved ones," he said. "There is no excuse for my actions, or my failure to act — and I should have acted. I do not place responsibility on anyone else, it is mine alone. "I take full responsibility for my actions and their consequences. I stand before this court with genuine remorse and a commitment to reflect on, learn from and be accountable for what I have done." He also apologised to the court and his own family for the "turmoil" he had put them through as a result of the crash. Victim's family left 'empty' In a victim impact statement read aloud by prosecutor Frank Niemann, Ms Malik's sister Qudisya Malik told the court her family was grappling with profound grief and heartbreak over their loss. "Grief has become part of my everyday life and there are moments where the pain feels just as fresh as it did on the day we lost her," she said in the statement. "Every important milestone reminds us that someone deeply loved is missing. There is always an empty place where Samia should have been. "Nothing can ever replace Samia. We have lost a daughter, a sister, a friend and a remarkable young woman who had so much life ahead of her. "Samia will always remain part of our family. She may no longer be physically with us but she continues to live on in our hearts." Mr Niemann told the court that before Ms Malik was struck, other drivers had swerved around her. He said a police vehicle which had been travelling some distance behind Friend was able to brake and stop without striking Ms Malik. He said it took "impressive police work" to find Friend after the crash and that he had not turned himself in, even after he became aware he was the person who had struck Ms Malik. "The defendant has effectively not presented to police for some time, and waited for them to find him,"Mr Niemann said. Both the prosecution and defence agreed a suspended jail term would be an appropriate penalty when he is sentenced next month.