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A pharmacist who was convicted last year of causing death by careless, inconsiderate driving has been given a warning by the General Pharmaceutical Council.

Muhammad Shuaib pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates Court in April 2024 to driving a mechanically propelled vehicle, a Nissan Qashqai, without due care and attention after his car collided with a 92-year-old woman who was crossing the road on the morning of December 10, 2022.

Shuaib was driving along Gospel Lane in Birmingham at between 29mph and 31mph where the speed limit was 30mph when his car hit the victim. The court heard CCTV footage from a shop on Gospel Road where she had been buying items showed her crossing Gospel Lane outside the store.

Woman died from her injuries the next day

She was over halfway across the road when she was hit by Shuaib’s car. According to a report on the GPhC fitness-to-practise hearing which took place last month, he said there was a frost and “low winter sun shining from behind him, with glare reflecting off the damp road which caused him to brake”.

However, he was unable to avoid hitting the woman, who was taken to hospital and died from her injuries the next day. A police report confirmed there had been some frost and winter sun on the morning of December 10, 2022.

A police investigation found there were no concerns with Shuaib’s vehicle which was “in a roadworthy condition” and he tested negative for alcohol and drugs. In May last year, he was given a 16-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months and a 12-month community order.

He was also handed a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement, 200 hours of unpaid work to be completed within 12 months, was disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay a. victim surcharge of £154 and prosecution costs of £85.

Giving evidence to the FtP hearing, Shuaib, who had been working as a pharmacist manager in a pharmacy in Stoke on Trent since 2016, said he was “in shock” after colliding with the victim and “froze whereas normally he would have been the first person to run and help anyone”.

He said he took off his coat and placed it over the woman who was lying on the ground. He also said he phoned his wife and asked her to bring a duvet to place over the victim and spent “a good few hours” co-operating with police.

He gave his mobile phone to officers so they could carry out a forensic analysis to determine if he had been distracted by using it while he was driving. Police concluded this was not the case. Police also carried out tests on Shuaib’s car and did not find any mechanical defects.

“The registrant stated he did not and could not drive the vehicle again after the incident as it reminded him too much of what had happened,” the FtP report said, adding that Shuaib pleaded guilty because he felt “remorse and sorrow about the incident”.

Handing him a warning which will be published on the register for 12 months, the FtP committee said he was “a man of good character prior to the conviction” which was “unrelated to his professional work as a pharmacist”.

“This was an isolated incident that had taken place over two and a half years ago which led to a conviction resulting from the registrant’s momentary lapse,” its report said.

“The registrant had shown genuine insight, sincere regret and deep remorse into his actions which had led to the conviction and into the consequences on all those involved.”