World · East Asia & Pacific · 3 hrs ago
Driver avoids jail after fatal hit-and-run in Adelaide
Ashton Friend, 20, avoided jail after pleading guilty to causing the death of Samia Malik and leaving the scene of a crash.
Malik, an international student, was killed on North East Road in Hillcrest, Adelaide, on May 6, 2025.
Court evidence said she had been kneeling in the road for about four minutes, with her hands appearing to be in a praying position.
Friend said he did not initially realise he had hit a person and later learned of Malik’s death through news reports.
He was not speeding or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, according to the court.
Friend apologised to Malik’s family, whose statement described their lasting grief and the loss of a daughter and sister.
The account does not give details of any other penalty or say what happens next.
Ashton Friend avoided jail after pleading guilty to causing the death of Samia Malik and leaving the scene of the accident.
Friend struck Malik with his car on North East Road in Hillcrest, Adelaide, on May 6, 2025.
The court heard Malik had been kneeling in the middle of the road for four minutes before the collision.
Friend said in an apology that he was deeply sorry and accepted responsibility for his actions.
Malik’s sister told the court that grief had become part of her everyday life.
- Who
- Ashton Friend, 20, and Samia Malik, an international student.
- What
- Friend avoided jail after the hit-and-run that killed Malik. He had pleaded guilty to causing death by careless use of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident.
- When
- The collision happened on May 6, 2025.
- Where
- North East Road in Hillcrest, Adelaide.
- Why
- The court heard Friend said he did not realise he had hit a person. The reason Malik was kneeling in the road is not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
I will have to carry my failures with me for as long as I live,
He hadn't been aware that there was something on the road. He heard this noise,
There are moments where the pain feels just as fresh as it did on the day we lost her
There is no excuse for my actions, or my failure to act — and I should have acted.
Friend struck and killed Malik on North East Road in Hillcrest, Adelaide.
Police identified Friend and arrested him.
The court heard defence submissions about Friend’s failure to stop.
The Daily Mail reported that Friend had avoided jail.
- Driver
- Ashton Friend, 20
- Victim
- Samia Malik, an international student
- Collision date
- May 6, 2025
- Location
- North East Road, Hillcrest, Adelaide
- Guilty pleas
- Causing death by careless use of a motor vehicle; leaving the scene of an accident
Sources
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