Ibizugbe Joy Ikponnmwen was just 38. She had dreams of becoming a mother and aspired to train as a nurse or a teacher.
What started out as a normal day ended in tragedy. She never made it home after going shopping and to work.
A man in a Mercedes G Wagon mowed her down at high speed as she crossed the road on the evening of October 25, 2021. Ibizugbe sustained such catastrophic injuries she died that same night.
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Mohammed Chowdhury, 22, was behind the wheel of the car. In the minutes leading up to the fatal crash, he reached 'excessive' speeds of around 80 mph along Alan Turing Way. The limit along the busy main road is 30mph.
Ibizugbe thought it was safe to cross. As she stepped out, Chowdhury, who was the phone, attempted to brake. It was already too late.
In a powerful victim impact statement read in court, Ibizugbe's heartbroken widow spoke of his anguish and the moment his life 'ended forever'. He saw police at the scene of the crash on his way to a late shift at work and knew something was wrong.
"It was a normal day like any other, my wife and I went shopping then I took her to work. When she got out of the car, she said goodbye. Little did I know that would be the last time I would see her," he said.
It was later that same evening that Mr Ikponnwmen was leaving for a late shift at work when he noticed the huge police scene. He tried to call his Ibizugbe, but she didn’t answer, causing him to panic.
The pair had first met at Salford University and had been together for ten years. They were planning to raise a family and have a baby through IVF treatment. Ibizugbe also had aspirations to become a teacher or a nurse.
"As I was leaving for work, I noticed all the police cars and I felt something was wrong. I tried to call her but there was no answer. It was unusual for her not to answer her phone and I was concerned," he said.
"I can only describe it as I had come to the end of the world. What was I going to do now? My wife has gone.
"We enjoyed each other's company when not at work, just doing the normal things couples do. She loved her movies and she was a lively and friendly person. I loved her so much and she meant the world to me.
"We had been trying to start a family and had been waiting for IVF treatment. She would’ve been a wonderful mother and now I am left all alone.
"I have had to move to a new area because of the memories in the old house. It was too difficult living with those reminders of what we had, and what could have been."
On Wednesday (May 3), Mohammed Chowdhury was sentenced to five years and six months pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Details of the fatal crash were heard in court, including how Chowdhury's Mercedes was seen reaching up to 80 mph in the minutes before the incident. One witness said his car 'shook' as Chowdhury overtook him.
At around 9.05pm 2021, Ibizugbe was walking towards the bus stop to go home. She had spoken to her husband on the phone hours before.
She reached the junction with Ashton Old Road and crossed halfway to the central reservation. It was at this point, prosecutors say, that as she attempted to cross, she was struck by the Mercedes.
Chowdhury made and received a series of phone calls between 8.51pm and the time of the crash, and that he was on a call when he drove into Mrs Ikponnwmen, something Judge Clayson argued would’ve been a ‘distraction’ when driving at ‘excessive speed’.
He remained at the scene and called the police after the fatal crash, but in a later police interview he denied his standard of driving was to blame. He eventually pleaded guilty to the offence of causing death by dangerous driving at an earlier pre-trial review hearing on March 13.
It was also revealed that he had a ‘fascination’ with ‘high powered and fast cars’ since he was a teenager and had access to such vehicles, including the Mercedes, through the family business.
Sentencing, Judge Timothy Clayson said: "The only way to describe your speed on this occasion is grossly excessive. You could’ve avoided the collision had you seen Mrs Ikponnmwen when you should’ve done, despite the speed you were going.
"I am bound to conclude you were avoidably distracted, engaging in telephone calls whilst travelling at great speed. You did see her before the crash, but by then, it was too late.
"We have heard a moving victim impact statement from her husband. He has lost his wife. They had been hoping to start a family. She was much-loved, a lady with ability and aspirations, with plans to go into teaching or nursing."
Chowdhury, of Rosen Square, Chadderton, was sentenced to five years and six months imprisonment for which he must serve half in custody and a further half on license. He was disqualified from driving for six years and must take an extended driving test before being able to drive again.
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