A driver's claim that his electric car moved of its own accord before it struck and killed a five-year-old boy has been dismissed by a police crash investigator, who told a court the incident was a case of mistaken pedal use.
Trial hears details of fatal incident
Ashenafei Demissie, 53, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of causing the death of five-year-old Fareed Amir and seriously injuring his own 12-year-old son. The defendant has denied the charges against him.
The court heard that in November 2022, Demissie had been parked outside his flat in Borough, south London, when his Volkswagen ID.4 moved forward. The vehicle hit the two boys before crashing into five stationary cars.
Demissie claimed a fault with the electric car caused it to accelerate "of its own accord" while the children were playing outside. He told police he thought the car "jumped" because Fareed had triggered a sensor, describing the event as a "moment of madness".
Investigator finds no evidence of vehicle fault
However, Metropolitan Police traffic collision investigator Mark Still gave evidence on Wednesday 7 January 2026. He stated that following an examination of the vehicle in December 2022, he found no defects that contributed to the collision.
"I was unable to find any defect that contributed to the collision and I was unable to make the car accelerate without the driver driving," Mr Still told jurors at the Old Bailey.
He confirmed he found no faults with the operation of the vehicle's steering, brake, or acceleration systems, and emphasised that the car required driver input to move. Mr Still concluded the incident was a case of "pedal misapplication".
'Pedal misapplication' a known issue
Highlighting a known pattern in such incidents, Mr Still explained that drivers sometimes press the accelerator when they believe they are braking.
"They have put their foot on the wrong pedal," he said. "The result of that is the car will start moving. Because the driver thinks they have their foot on the brake, they will likely press harder to make it stop... it spirals out of control."
Mr Still admitted he was not a computer expert but said he had considered whether a mechanical or electrical failure could have caused the collision. Demissie had previously told police he had never experienced any mechanical problems with the Volkswagen ID.4.
The trial continues.
