Drug-fuelled driver who caused girl's death jailed

A van driver who took at least 20 lines of cocaine before crashing into a tram, then hitting and killing a three-year-old girl with his vehicle, has been jailed.

Louisa Palmisano, from Burnley - known as Lulu - was hit by a van while walking with her parents on Mosely Street in Manchester city centre on 22 February, and later died in hospital.

Rawal Rehman, who initially fled the scene before being arrested the next day, had binged on the cocaine and visited two massage parlours in the city on the morning of the crash.

The 36-year-old, of Lambton Road, Manchester, was sentenced to 12 years in jail at Manchester Crown Court on Tuesday, after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

Rehman had ignored stop signs when he careered straight into the tram, causing his van to mount the pavement and hit the victim, at about 10:00 GMT on 22 February, the court heard.

He ran away from the crash, after flagging down a taxi, and was arrested a day later following a manhunt by police.

Lulu's family said they had been on a family trip to Manchester before the "unimaginable tragedy" had occurred.

They said Rehman's sentence "brought a measure of legal closure, but nothing can fill the void left by her absence".

CCTV of the incident was played to the court, showing the family walking along the pavement, with Lulu between her parents, holding their hands.

After the crash, Rehman, with his hood up, got out of the van and walked around the vehicle, before retrieving his phone and leaving in search of a taxi.

The court heard he had a number of previous convictions, including being jailed in 2017 for three years for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice, after he torched a car involved in a fatal hit-and-run collision which killed a 25-year-old man, in Chorlton, Manchester.

David Toal, appearing for the defence, said his client had admitted to things for which the prosecution had no evidence, which demonstrated he had taken responsibility for his actions, stating Rehman had planned to hand himself in to the police before his arrest.

He said: "An aggravating factor is that he left the scene - there is no excuse for this.

"His explanation is that he panicked, and that panic turned into shock when he learned, via social media, that a young girl had lost her life."

The child's parents said Lulu was their only child and "the centre of our world".

"Her joyful spirit, vivid imagination, and kind heart touched everyone who knew her.

"At just three years old, she brought more light and love than we ever thought possible.

"Her life was full of promise, and her loss is something we will carry with us for the rest of our lives."

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