Hit-and-run driver jailed for killing elderly Tottenham man

A man has been jailed after being convicted of causing the death of a “doting grandfather” by driving dangerously along Tottenham High Road after a night out drinking.

Hit-and-run driver Anop Singh “invented a series of lies” in a “desperate bid” to distance himself from the 2017 incident in which 72-year-old John Francis Heneghan – better known as ‘Frank’ – was left fatally injured in Tottenham High Road.

After numerous delays to his trial, Singh, from Clapton, was convicted of causing death by dangerous driving last Wednesday (11th May). He was sentenced on Friday (13th) at Wood Green Crown Court to a total of 14 years’ imprisonment. He had previously also been found guilty of perverting the course of justice in relation to an earlier trial that failed to reach a verdict.

Frank’s family described Anop as an “evil, selfish man” who had “never shown any sliver of remorse”.

The court heard that on 12th August 2017, Frank had alighted a bus in Tottenham High Road at around 1.30am, having been out for the night with friends. He began to cross the road to the opposite carriageway when he was struck by a grey Volkswagen Golf, at a speed estimated to be between 47 and 76 mph, in an area with a 30mph speed limit.

Frank was left at the scene after the vehicle failed to stop. Police and paramedics attended but there was little they could do, so severe were his injuries. Frank was pronounced dead at 1.54am.

A man was arrested shortly after the incident when a witness identified him as the driver of the car, however it transpired that he was in fact the front-seat passenger and had run back to the scene in disbelief after exiting the vehicle a short distance down the road. Meanwhile, Singh had travelled home and parked the car on his drive.

Singh called police from a relative’s phone at 7.30am, claiming he had been awoken in the back seat of his car by family. He said he believed his car had been involved in some sort of collision but that he was asleep in the rear at the time, that he could not remember anything, and that he did not know the driver. He was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and answered ‘no comment’ to all questions asked.

Detectives began an investigation to piece together the events from that night. They tracked CCTV and discovered that Singh had been out drinking with two other men at bars in Haringey. They spent around two hours drinking vodka and champagne at the second bar before being ejected by staff at around 11pm. Singh returned to remonstrate before going back to his vehicle with one of the other men and finally driving off at around 12.21am.

ANPR cameras picked up the Golf travelling along Seven Sisters Road at 1.34am, close to the collision site. Singh’s phone number was identified and he was found to have made 53 phone calls between 1.37am and 2.39am, with 38 of these to one number and the rest to four different phone numbers, proving that he could not have been asleep during that period as claimed. The actual phone he used has never been recovered.

Officers also found Singh had substantial swelling to his eye when arrested, believed to have been caused by the collision. CCTV from the night before did not appear to show any such injury. The clothing he had been wearing was also found to be different on arrest.

Forensic evidence from the vehicle further proved Singh was behind the wheel when the vehicle struck Frank in Tottenham High Road. A post-mortem examination held on 17th August at Haringey Mortuary gave cause of death as multiple injuries.

Detective Inspector Cheryl Frost said: “Firstly I’d like to pay tribute to Frank’s family, who have displayed the most incredible courage and dignity during what has been an incredibly protracted process. They were present again throughout this trial and have had to listen in detail to how Frank was so awfully taken from them. I would like to thank them all for their unwavering support throughout our investigation.

“By all accounts Frank was a much-loved man. He was originally from Ireland but had lived in South Tottenham for some time. Frank was on his way home having been out for the night with friends.

“The only way to describe Anop Singh is as a coward and a liar. He knew exactly what he had done but still attempted to spin a web of lies, going to great lengths in disposing of his phone and clothing. He even claimed a family member had awoken him in his car that morning – but that relative refused to confirm that in a statement to police.

“There is nothing we can do to bring Frank back, but I hope his family have some sense of peace in knowing that officers from the serious collision investigation unit, in particular DC Owen Randall, have done everything we could to bring Anop Singh to justice.”

In an emotional statement, Frank’s four adult children said: “John ‘Frank’ Heneghan was a former farmer, builder and publican. He had retired shortly before his untimely death in 2017 at the age of 72.

“He was a loving husband, married to his wife Derry for 42 years. Devoted to his wife, he nursed her through a long illness before her death in 2012. A father of four, he was always warm and affectionate with his children, and always encouraged and inspired them to be the best they could be. He was a doting grandfather and loved spending time with his seven grandchildren, making them laugh and telling them stories. His own father had died when he was just thirteen and he grew up as one of the eldest of a family of 14 brothers and sisters in poverty in the west of Ireland.

“As a young man he was a member of the Irish Army Band and one of his proudest moments was shaking President John F Kennedy’s hand after he played for him on his arrival to Shannon Airport in 1963. He was actively involved in sport, playing non-league football for Feltham FC in the Sixties and founding a football team in his hometown of Kilmaine, in County Mayo, Ireland when he returned to live there in the seventies. The team still exists to this day and there has been a cup established in his name.

“Family was the most important thing to him, and he saw his children and grandchildren on a daily basis right up until his death. He was also close to his brothers and sisters, and nephews and nieces, meeting them all a number of times a year in the UK and in Ireland. Throughout his life he was a mentor and teacher to many, through work and in his sporting life and he was actively involved in charity work, establishing a musical tour in the west of Ireland that took place every summer and raised money for many local charities. Hundreds attended his funerals, one held in London and one in his hometown and the streets were lined with mourners.

“Frank had a good wit and a generous nature and was loved by everyone who knew him. His family and friends were all devastated by the cruel loss when he was killed. All we are left with are our memories of a kind and gentle man who worked hard, treated everyone with respect, was funny and charming and had a roguish twinkle in his eye.

“The defendant in this case has behaved in a contemptible and appalling manner throughout. For five long years he has constantly lied and lied and has never once shown any sliver of remorse for killing our dad.

“He has put us through hell. First by callously killing our dad Frank and then by constantly lying and offering not even a word of sympathy or remorse. Well today this evil, selfish man has finally been brought to justice.”