Driver who killed pregnant Hollyoaks star to spend extra three years in jail
The sentencing review of Adil Iqbal, who was found guilty for causing death by dangerous driving, has taken place today at the Court of Appeal after campaigners said his 12 year sentence wasn't enough.
Appeal judges have added three years to a 12-year jail term handed to a boxing coach who admitted causing the death of a pregnant mother of two in a motorway crash.
Three appeal judges in London on Friday increased Adil Iqbal’s jail term to 15 years after concluding the original sentence was unduly lenient.
They heard that Iqbal, 22, filmed himself driving at speeds of up to 123mph before losing control of a BMW car on the M66 in Bury, Greater Manchester, in May.
In July, Adil Iqbal was sentenced by the Minshull Crown Court in Manchester to 12 years in prison for causing the death of pregnant Hollyoaks star, Frankie Julia Hough and her unborn daughter due to dangerous driving on the M66, near Bury, on 13 May 2023.
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Iqbal was driving with one hand and holding his phone with the other to film himself, possibly to upload to Facebook, as he tailgated and undertook other vehicles and swerved across lanes, reaching 123mph in his father's BMW car on the M66 in Bury.
He pleaded guilty to killing Frankie, who was 17 weeks pregnant with her first daughter, Neeve, and causing serious injury to her nine-year-old son Thomas. Her four-year-old nephew, Tobias, was also badly hurt in the incident on the M66 near Bury, Greater Manchester, on May 13.
Frankie Julia Hough and her unborn daughter were killed in the devastating crash (MEN Media)
Adil Iqubal killed a pregnant Hollyoaks actress while filming a video on his phone at speeds of 123mph was jailed for 12 years (William Lailey / SWNS)Frankie's other son, two-year-old Rocky, was also in the car when the 38 year old stopped on the motorway hard-shoulder with a tyre puncture just before the tragedy. The mum, Tommy, Rocky and Tobias - all from Chadderton in Oldham - were transported to hospital via air ambulance. Frankie died as a result of the crash.
Thomas and Tobias were both placed in induced comas in intensive care. Neeve died two days after her mum in hospital surrounded by her family, having never regained consciousness from the horror crash.
After the case in July, solicitor Rose Gibson-Harper, who represents the victim’s family, said: “Today’s 12-year sentence is insulting and an injustice to the catastrophic injuries little Tobias sustained, and the life sentence Mrs Hough’s family were needlessly handed following her and her unborn daughter’s death due to an act of sheer stupidity.
“Last year, judges were given the power to hand down greater sentences to those convicted of death by dangerous driving – previously, the maximum tariff was 14 years but it was increased to life imprisonment. This case stands as one of the worst examples of dangerous driving I have witnessed in my 27-year career as a catastrophic injury lawyer, and we expected the justice system to fulfil its duty and utilise its new-found powers.
“It is important to emphasise that dangerous driving is not a game. It has real and devastating consequences, and we must collectively work towards creating a society that values responsible driving and prioritises the safety of all road users. We urge everyone to reflect upon this tragic incident, which should serve as a wake-up call for humanity.”
Iqbal, 22, from Accrington, Lancashire, who was driving a BMW at 123mph, was arrested at the scene. He admitted the two offences during a hearing at Minshull Street Crown Court in July.
At the time, the court heard Frankie had pulled over on the hard shoulder with a tyre puncture, with her two sons and nephew in the car, and was making a call to say she would be late when she let out a “blood curdling scream”, Minshull Street Crown Court in Manchester heard.
Iqbal’s BMW 140i undertook a motorbike then swerved, over compensated and hit a crash barrier before spinning around and ploughing into Ms Jules-Hough’s Skoda Fabia at an estimated 92mph.
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Ms Jules-Hough was on the phone to Thomas’ father who, along with other family, dashed to the scene of the mangled car wreck, as emergency services and air ambulances descended.
Dashcam footage and footage from Iqbal’s phone was shown to the court and watched by relatives of Ms Jules-Hough, some of whom gave heart-rending victim impact statements before the defendant was jailed.
Passing sentence, Judge Maurice Greene told him: “She was killed as a result of the most indescribable reckless driving by you Adil Iqbal, leading to the devastation of a family.”
The court was told Iqbal was convicted of driving without insurance in 2019 and in December 2021 posted a video to Facebook after filming himself speeding in a Lamborghini Huracan in Dubai. Two months before the deadly crash, he was given a warning by police after being stopped while racing an Audi car on public roads.
On the day of the accident, other drivers' dashcam footage caught Iqbal aggressively tailgating and undertaking on an A road leading to the motorway, with his car fish-tailing and swerving.
Rob Hall, prosecuting, said Iqbal was filming himself at the time, adding: ”It may have been his intention to upload this video to Facebook as well. In the seconds before the collision, the dash of the BMW shows approximate speeds of 107mph, up to 123mph, which shows more than once.” Mr Hall said Iqbal dropped his phone as he lost control of the car and hit Ms Jules-Hough's car.
Frank Hough, Ms Jules-Hough's father, said his family has been devastated ”all because a young man wanted to show off, wanted to show his friends on social media how daring and cool he thought he was. Our worlds have been torn apart and for what? So this boy could try to make himself feel like a big man.”
Iqbal was also banned from driving for 14 years.
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