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English pacer Gus Atkinson. (Picture Credit: AFP)
The actor was alleged to have carelessly driven at over double the speed limit in a 30 mph one before taking the life of 55-year-old Caroline Atkinson in December 2020.
Following a four-year-long legal battle, former EastEnders actor Youssef Berouain has been jailed for killing English fast bowler Gus Atkinson’s mother. Berouain, who previously had played roles in EastEnders, Doctors and the 9/11 mini-series, has been jailed for eight-and-a-half years, as per The Telegraph.
The 31-year-old was alleged to have carelessly driven at over double the speed limit in a 30 mph one before taking the life of 55-year-old Caroline Atkinson in December 2020. The verdict of the four-year-long case was delivered at the Southwark Crown Court. It was the same time when Gus was registering a four-for in the opening innings of England’s third Test against the West Indies.
The Telegraph reported the specifics of the incident that occurred on December 10, 2020. Caroline Atkinson had reportedly ordered an Uber at around 10:20 pm in South London. After entering a Toyota Prius, she was reportedly struck by an Audi Q7 SUV nearly five minutes later. As per reports, Youssef Berouain was in the driving seat. Nearly 12 CCTV cameras in the area had filmed the Audi accelerating quickly through an intersection before using a bus lane to overtake some vehicles.
Officers who investigated the scene also reported that Youssef Berouain was behaving in an idiosyncratic way while also refusing to partake in roadside testing, as per The Telegraph. The guilty plea came two weeks after Gus Atkinson was named in the first Test of English summer. Apart from the eight-and-a-half-year prison term, Berouain was given another simultaneous sentence of three years for causing a grave injury to her friend who had to spend three weeks in the hospital.
Speaking of Gus Atkinson, the England fast bowler made his Test debut against the West Indies in July 2024. He etched his name into the history books recently after becoming only the third cricketer to score a century and a five-wicket haul in the same Test match at the Lord’s. The first man to record this feat was Tony Greig, achieving it in 1974 in a match against the West Indies in Barbados. English legend Ian Botham is the second player to secure this feat, picking up five wickets and scoring a century in a Test innings on five separate occasions.