A man was jailed on Monday after he drove through a red light on his moped in Acton, Ealing and struck and seriously injured a three-year-old girl.

Raaid Ressaf, 19, of Medway Gardens, Wembley, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years' imprisonment and disqualified from driving for 21 months (to start when he is released from prison). He must also pass an extended driving test when he is eligible to drive again.

The court heard that police were called at 6:34 pm on Tuesday, 8 June to reports of a collision involving a moped and a child pedestrian on The Vale, at the junction with Bromyard Avenue in Acton, W3.

The London Ambulance Service and London's Air Ambulance also attended the scene and the three-year-old girl was taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition.

Ressaf stopped at the scene and was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and driving while under the influence of drugs.

Detectives carried out a number of enquiries and established that the incident happened as the girl and her family were crossing the street at a pedestrian crossing while other vehicles waited at the red light.

Ressaf overtook the stationary vehicles and collided with the victim as she was part-way across the crossing.

The victim was unconscious with head and chest injuries. London's Air Ambulance placed her in an induced coma before transporting her to St Mary's Hospital where she had a CT scan and then went straight into surgery.

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The victim, who is now aged four, is back home but has life-changing injuries and requires a lot of care.

Ressaf had only bought the moped the day before the collision.

He had a provisional licence but it had been revoked just over a week before on Friday, 28 May.

Ressaf was charged and convicted on Thursday, 10 June.

He appeared at Isleworth Crown Court on Monday, 20 December where he pleaded guilty to:

- Causing serious injury by dangerous driving;

- Driving without a licence;