An Epsom taxi driver has been jailed for four months and banned from driving for six months after failing to stop when he hit a pedestrian who died after the crash.

In the early hours of Sunday, May 21, 2023, Farid Cheheb was driving his taxi when he struck 44-year-old Shane Scannell on South Street, Epsom.

Shane suffered serious injuries, including a traumatic head injury and later died in hospital.

Cheheb, 66, did not stop at the scene and he later claimed he had hit a fox, not a person.

A Forensic Collision Investigator who reconstructed the accident using all the available evidence determined Cheheb should have realised he had struck a person, not an animal.

The damage to his car was consistent with him hitting a pedestrian and Shane would have been visible to him from more than 10 metres away.

Detective Inspector Ben Grilli said: “This was a challenging investigation where there were no witnesses to the actual collision and the vehicle did not stop at the scene.

“It is a testament to the effort put into this investigation that the vehicle was located and a person prosecuted.

“Although the CPS were not satisfied that we could suitably evidence the manner of driving that led to the collision, it is a sign of the amount of evidence secured that the driver received a custodial sentence for a minor summary offence.

“We know that the sentence will provide little comfort to the family, but we hope the sentence will provide an element of closure.”

In June last year the family of Shane Scannell paid tribute to a “son, brother, and uncle, who was loved by so many.”