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[Saba Sports News] A four-year legal battle finally concluded on July 26 when former actor Youssef Berouain, known for roles in EastEnders, Doctors, and The Looming Tower, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in prison for his involvement in the death of Caroline Atkinson, mother of English fast bowler Gus Atkinson.
The verdict was delivered at Southwark Crown Court, coinciding with Gus’s impressive four-wicket haul in the first innings of the third Test against the West Indies. Berouain, 31, was driving recklessly at over twice the speed limit in a 30 mph zone when he struck and killed 55-year-old Caroline on December 10, 2020.
Investigators reported smelling cannabis on Berouain and noted his erratic behavior before he refused roadside testing, according to The Telegraph.
Bringing Berouain to justice was a complex process. He fled to Dubai and then to the United States, necessitating the activation of the US-UK extradition treaty, with help from US Marshals and British Embassy officials in Washington.
Berouain pleaded guilty on June 14 of this year, just two weeks before Gus was named in the squad for the first Test of the English summer. Six weeks later, Berouain was sentenced, by which time Gus had made a strong start to his Test career.
The judge acknowledged that Berouain’s flight to the US and the resulting delays caused “great distress” to the Atkinson family and Caroline’s friend, who was also injured in the crash. The friend spent three weeks in the hospital, followed by six weeks in a rehabilitation clinic, and continues to suffer from daily pain and post-traumatic stress disorder.
The former actor received an eight-and-a-half-year sentence for causing Caroline’s death and an additional three years for injuring her friend. On the night of the incident, Caroline was in an Uber when it was struck by Berouain’s Audi Q7 SUV, traveling at speeds between 63 and 66 mph, according to extradition documents.
In court, a victim impact statement from Caroline’s husband, Ed Atkinson, described her as a devoted mother and a respected community member.
“Her death robbed her of the chance to become a grandmother, and her children and future grandchildren are forever deprived of her presence and love,” the judge read from the statement.
Ed Atkinson shared how he encouraged his son Gus to carry on with his cricket career, saying, “Gussy, you’ve got to go and prove what mum set out – that you can do it.”
Reflecting on his mother’s influence, Gus said, “I want to bowl for England, take five wickets, and hold the ball up to say, ‘thanks, mum.’ Once she passed away, my career could have gone one of two ways, and I wanted to take it in the direction she would have wanted.”