A dangerous driver who killed a toddler in a horrific crash on Dartmouth Road, Smethwick, will not face any further punishment for the death of the boy's mother, it has been confirmed. Sharjeel Shahzad, 30, from Great Barr, was speeding on the wrong side of the road in a stolen Porsche Cayenne when he caused a head-on collision on December 14, 2024.
Crash Details and Immediate Aftermath
Khushpreet Kaur, also 30, was travelling in a Toyota Auris with her two-year-old son Shehbaz Singh, his father Amritpal Singh, and two close friends. The impact killed the toddler the same day. Ms Kaur was left in a coma for months before being moved to Amberley Court care home in Balsall Heath, where she required full-time care. She never regained full consciousness and died on March 22, 2025, after falling ill.
An inquest in writing this month confirmed she died as a result of the injuries sustained in the crash. Area Coroner Adam Hodson wrote: "Mrs Kaur sustained multiple injuries – including skull fractures; leg fractures; an injury to her spleen; and a traumatic brain injury – and sadly never fully regained consciousness following the collision. As a consequence, she required specialist care with all activities of daily living and subsequently resided at Amberley Court care home."
Cause of Death and Legal Outcome
The coroner stated that Ms Kaur died from acute aspiration/inhalational pneumonitis as a result of a historical traumatic brain injury at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital. He added: "She fell ill on March 22 with an episode of vomiting and diarrhoea and intolerance of PEG feeding. She subsequently aspirated and went into respiratory distress which required her to be admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and from which she sadly did not recover. She was vulnerable to aspiration due to her altered consciousness level, as a consequence of the traumatic brain injury she sustained in the road traffic collision."
It has now been confirmed that Shahzad has not faced further charges for causing her death – as well as her son's – as he is already serving a 'significant' sentence. He previously admitted causing death by dangerous driving, two charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving with no insurance, and failing to stop after a collision. BirminghamLive understands these charges have not been amended because further charges would be unlikely to increase his prison sentence.
Existing Sentence and Public Impact
Shahzad was sentenced to 15 years and four months in prison at Wolverhampton Crown Court on July 2024. He was also banned from driving for 18 years and three months. The court heard how he was driving a stolen vehicle at high speed on the wrong side of the road before the fatal collision. The tragedy has left the family devastated, with friends and relatives laying teddy bears at the scene in memory of two-year-old Shehbaz Singh.
