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Student killed while kneeling on road, Australian driver avoids jail in hit-and-run
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News18•13-10-2026, 16:26
Student killed while kneeling on road, Australian driver avoids jail in hit-and-run
- •An international student named Samia Malik was struck and killed by a car while kneeling on the middle of the road in a prayer-like posture in Adelaide, Australia.
- •CCTV footage showed Samia kneeling on the road for nearly four minutes before being hit, though the reason for her being in that position remains unknown.
- •The twenty-year-old driver, Ashton Friend, pleaded guilty to driving without due care causing death and leaving the scene of an accident.
- •Friend's lawyer argued that her client did not realize he had hit a person, assuming he had struck an animal after hearing a sound while driving home.
- •A judge sentenced Friend to prison, but suspended the sentence on the condition that he maintains good behavior for two years, allowing him to avoid jail time.
Key Questions Answered
Ashton Friend avoided jail time after the court suspended his prison sentence on the condition that he maintains a good behavior bond for two years.
International student Samia Malik had been kneeling on the middle of the road for nearly four minutes, making hand gestures that suggested she was praying.
Friend pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle without due care causing death and leaving the scene of an accident.
