Driver admits causing death of girl, four

A man has pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving after a crash that killed a four-year-old girl in Birmingham.

Mayar Yahia died after being hit by a car on Upper Highgate Street on 14 April 2024. Three others were hurt in the crash.

Javonnie Tavener, 23, of no fixed address, also admitted causing death while driving uninsured and two counts of causing serious injury by careless driving at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday. He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced at a future date.

After her death, Mayar's father, Babiker Yahia, said she had been an "extraordinary young girl", "full of life and joy", and her loss had left the family with an "irreplaceable void".

Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes, from West Midlands Police's serious collision investigation unit, said: "Mayar was just four years old when her life was tragically taken away from her. She was walking back with her family and friends after celebrating Eid.

"Pedestrians should be afforded and be reassured of protection when walking on the pavement, and a split-second decision by Tavener to overtake where he did has led to this tragic chain of events.

"I would urge all drivers to think about this incident and how those decisions can have such catastrophic consequences."

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