Drink-driver who killed schoolboy in car crash jailed

Kanad Basi was almost twice the drink-drive limit and had taken cocaine and ecstasy when he lost control of his BMW.

A drink-driver who killed a schoolboy in a crash has been jailed for four years and eight months.

Kanad Basi was almost twice the drink-drive limit and had also taken cocaine and ecstasy when he lost control of his BMW.

His 16-year-old passenger, Jack Frame, died after the motor ploughed into a tree in Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, on February 10, 2019.

Two other teenagers in the car also suffered serious injuries – one of whom Basi shoved into the front seat of the car following the smash.

The 22-year-old waiter was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday.

Basi had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.

Lord Mulholland told him: “You were under the influence of alcohol and further intoxicated by two class A drugs.

Basi pushed injured Ellie Plenderleith to the front of the car after the crash.Police ScotlandSTV News

“You will have to live with what you done for the rest of your life.

“You have delivered a life sentence to Jack Frame’s family by your dangerous driving.

“They have shown dignity and human spirit in the face of the misery that you have inflicted upon them.”

Basi will also be banned from the road for 12 years and four months.

The court heard how Basilisks had driven to a party in his BMW coupe before the crash.

A number of people at the event asked to go for a drive in the car and three drove off with him around 2am.

Basi soon lost control at a bend and initially mounted a grass verge.

Prosecutor Jane Farquharson QC: “He collided with a wire fence and struck a tree in the grounds of a golf club.

“Jack Frame was thrown forward and trapped within the front passenger side of the vehicle. 

“His head was wedged underneath the glove box area.”

Joiner Aiden O’Donnell, 18, was also badly hurt including suffering a fractured skull and two broken legs. He had to learn to walk again and has been unable to work since the crash.

Sandwich shop worker Eleanor Plenderleith, 19 was knocked unconscious. The 19-year-old had a punctured lung, lacerated liver, broken ribs and a fractured chest bone. A metal plate had to be inserted into her left upper arm. 

Basi suffered a broken wrist. His DNA and blood were found on the driver’s airbag.

The prosecutor added: “Neither passenger has any recollection about the incident itself or what happened thereafter.

“In the immediate aftermath, Basi removed his seat belt and climbed into the rear of the vehicle pushing passenger Eleanor Plenderleith into the front.

“She was found unconscious with her legs in the rear seating area and her head facing down into the driver’s footwell.”

The court heard that Basi used Aiden’s phone to call 999 and during that conversation claimed he was the driver.

However, later sitting in the back of an ambulance he was asked by police if he was the driver and replied: “I can’t remember now, but give me half an hour or so and I might remember. 

“I woke up in the back with my friend Aiden and pulled the girl over the front. There were only four in the car.”

‘We feel angry and devastated at the outcome today – only getting four years and eight months in jail will not deter anyone from doing the same thing.’

Family of Jack Frame

A breath test showed Basi had an alcohol count of 37. The legal limit is 22. A blood sample taken from him showed the presence of cocaine and ecstasy.

Lord Mulholland said the jail term would have been seven years, but for the guilty plea.

In a statement released through Digby Brown Solicitors, the Frame family said: “We feel angry and devastated at the outcome today – only getting four years and eight months in jail will not deter anyone from doing the same thing.

“Kanad tried to blame Ellie which was incredibly unfair and this accident resulted in Jack’s death and serious injury to both Aidan and Ellie.

“This outcome has not given us any type of justice after what has a been a long process for us.

“We would like to thank all our friends and family for all the support and love given to us during this difficult time but we would now appreciate some time to grieve.”

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