Driver pleads guilty over death of King’s College student on the Strand

A driver has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey over a fatal Strand collision that claimed the life of a university student in Westminster, with the judge indicating the case will result in a substantial prison sentence.

Aalia Mahomed, 20, was killed on 18 March 2025 after a van left the carriageway on the Strand and struck a bench where she was sitting near the entrance to King’s College London. She died at the scene.

Christopher Jackson, 27, of Southampton, admitted causing death by dangerous driving, along with two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Two other people, Irem Yoldas and Yamin Belmessous, were injured in the incident.

The court heard that the van first collided with a metal gate, tearing it from its hinges, before continuing on to hit the bench. Emergency services were called, but Mahomed could not be saved.

Jackson appeared subdued throughout the hearing, speaking only to confirm his plea. He was remanded in custody following the admissions.

Prosecutor Fiona Robertson told the court that Mahomed’s family, as well as the two surviving victims, were anxious for sentencing to take place before the first anniversary of her death.

Passing comment on the seriousness of the case, Judge Philip Katz KC said: “It is inevitably going to be a substantial custodial sentence.”

In mitigation, defence counsel Jessica Clarke said Jackson had three young children with his fiancée and had been working to support his family ahead of sentencing. She told the court that the case did not involve drink, drugs or excessive speed, describing the incident as a tragic accident.

Jackson will be sentenced at the Old Bailey on 6 March.

Under current guidelines, causing death by dangerous driving carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment, with courts required to consider factors such as harm caused, culpability, and the wider impact on victims’ families, as set out by the Sentencing Council.

Mahomed was in her second year studying physics and philosophy. Her death on one of Westminster’s busiest thoroughfares has renewed questions about traffic management and pedestrian safety in central London.

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