Uber driver cleared of murdering passenger but guilty of causing death by dangerous driving
An English jury has found Uber driver Hayadulla Turkmani not guilty of murdering a passenger but guilty of causing his death by dangerous driving. He is due to be sentenced on Wednesday.
A court in Essex, England, has cleared 53-year-old Uber driver Hayadulla Turkmani of murdering 28-year-old passenger Michael Ashton. However, the jury at Basildon Crown Court found him guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. Turkmani, who lives in Hornchurch, east London, is due to be sentenced on Wednesday.
What happened
Turkmani hit Ashton with his car moments after dropping him and his partner outside their home in Langdon Hills, Essex, on 26 September 2025. The couple had been out for dinner and drinks that evening, the trial heard.
Prosecutors alleged the driver ran Ashton over in anger because the passenger had been sick inside his Toyota Prius.
Footage and witness account
The jury was shown CCTV footage in which Ashton can be heard shouting "whoa, whoa, whoa" shortly before midnight, just after getting home.
A neighbour who saw the incident, Ray Green, told the trial the car struck Ashton at "incredible speed" and dragged him underneath, then reversed and hit him again. Green said he closed his curtains and asked himself what he had just witnessed, before running to help.
