A 23-year-old driver, Javonnie Tavener, was sentenced to three years and 10 months in jail for causing the death of a four-year-old girl named Mayar Yahia in a car accident in Birmingham on April 14, 2024. Tavener had pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and admitted to causing serious injuries to Mayar’s mother, Sara, and another woman, Awadia Hammed. Additionally, he faced charges of causing serious injury by careless driving and causing death while driving uninsured.
In a separate incident, Tavener received an 18-month sentence for assaulting and attempting to strangle his girlfriend, resulting in a total jail term of five years and four months. He was also banned from driving for six years. The court heard that Tavener’s Vauxhall Corsa collided with another vehicle before crashing into the victims. After the crash, Tavener briefly stayed at the scene before fleeing with a passenger.
Emergency services arrived at the scene and found Mayar dead, while the injured women required hospitalization and surgeries. Mayar’s father, Babiker Yahia, expressed the family’s ongoing trauma and described Mayar as a loving and kind child. Judge Cooke criticized Tavener for reckless driving under the influence of cannabis and using a phone, highlighting the vulnerability of pedestrians and the callous nature of Tavener’s actions after the accident.
Detective Sergeant Paul Hughes emphasized the tragic loss of Mayar’s life and urged drivers to consider the severe consequences of reckless driving, especially in pedestrian areas.