LONDON – A drug-impaired bus driver has had his prison sentence increased for the crash that killed nine-year-old Ada Zeynep Bicakci as she travelled with her family in Bexleyheath, south-east London.
Ada was cycling along Watling Street with her father and five-year-old brother on 3 August 2024 when a single-decker bus left its lane, crossed the carriageway and mounted the pavement.
All three were struck. Ada suffered catastrophic injuries and died in hospital two days later, while her father and brother survived with serious injuries.
The driver, 23-year-old Martin Asolo-Ogugua, was found to have 5.9 micrograms of THC – the active component of cannabis – per litre of blood, almost three times the UK drug-driving limit of 2 micrograms.
Investigators said he had been awake for much of the previous night and believed he briefly fell asleep at the wheel before losing control of the bus.
Asolo-Ogugua pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving, causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs.
He was initially jailed for four years and banned from driving for seven years, a sentence that prompted anger and disappointment from Ada’s family.
Following a referral under the unduly lenient sentence scheme, the Court of Appeal ruled that the original punishment did not reflect the seriousness of his offending.
Judges increased his custodial term to six years and eight months and extended his driving disqualification, which will begin when he is released from prison.
In emotional statements, Ada’s parents described their daughter as a bright, loving and artistic child who loved drawing and gymnastics and had been on her way to a class when the crash happened.
They said the family is serving “a life sentence” of grief and called the collision “entirely preventable”.
Amid their loss, the family chose to donate Ada’s organs.
Doctors confirmed that her heart, liver, kidneys and other organs were successfully transplanted, saving or transforming the lives of six other children.
Her parents said that knowing Ada helped other families was their “only comfort” and called her “our little hero”.
Road-safety campaigners and police have highlighted the case as a stark warning about drug-driving, particularly among professional drivers responsible for large vehicles and vulnerable road users.
Ada’s family say they will continue to push for tougher enforcement and greater awareness, insisting that their daughter’s death must lead to change so that no other family endures a similar tragedy.
