'We owe it to every family affected by this reckless behaviour' - Commissioner explains why he's backing our Ben's Law campaign
Our Ben's Law campaign for an outright ban on street racing has been backed by West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster.
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Mr Foster told the Express & Star he was fully behind our petition which would see tough new laws introduced in memory of 19-year-old Ben Corfield and his friend Liberty Charris, 16, who were killed when a high-powered car was driven into a group of pedestrians on the pavement in Oldbury in November 2022.
Dhiya Al-Maamoury, 56, was jailed for 13-and-a-half years after admitting causing death by dangerous driving when he appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court in November last year.
Speaking to the Express & Star this week, Ben's father Councillor Damian Corfield called for a blanket national ban on street racing, and we have launched an online petition https://chng.it/SxpmYB8gZJ in support of this.
Now Mr Foster had added his support to the campaign.
He said: “I am supporting Ben’s Law, to make it a criminal offence to organise, promote or attend, unofficial street racing events.
“The tragic death of Ben Corfield was a devastating and preventable loss. We owe it to his memory –and to every family affected by this reckless behaviour – to take decisive action."
Mr Foster said road safety was a stop priority, and he was committed to halving the number of people killed and seriously injured on the roads of the West Midlands within five years - as well as Vision Zero, which would eliminate all deaths and serious injuries by 2040.
He said he had funded, and continued to support West Midlands Police’s Operation Hercules, a dedicated crack down on street racing and dangerous and reckless driving.
People who were determined to selfishly gamble with other people’s lives as a result of street racing, must be prevented from doing so, held to account and brought to justice, he said.
“Ben’s Law represents an important step forward, in reducing the number of people tragically and avoidably killed and seriously injured and towards making our roads safer for everyone.”
A High Court injunction has been issued which bans street racing and car cruising in the Dudley, Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Birmingham local authority areas. Those flouting the injunction can be jailed for up to two years.
But Ben's father Damian Corfield, who sits on Dudley Council, is calling for a national ban, which would also apply to anybody attending or promoting such events. He also called for the maximum penalty to be extended to five years.
