A FORMER Eastenders actor has been jailed for killing the mother of an England cricket star in a horrific crash.
Gus Atkinson’s mum Caroline, 55, was hit by Youssef Berouain as she traveled in an Uber while driving twice the speed limit.
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Gus Atkinson’s mother Caroline was killed when the former actor crashed her UberCredit: Instagram
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Youssef Berouain is now imprisoned – four years after the horror
The actor, who also had roles in Doctors and the 9/11 miniseries The Looming Tower, fled the country after the tragedy.
Shockingly, police only realized he was missing seven months after the crash in 2020 when they arrived at his home in London to arrest him.
It has now emerged that Berouain has been sentenced to eight and a half years in prison, the Telegraph reports.
The sentence was handed down in July as rising cricket star Atkinson helped England thrash the West Indies at Edgbaston.
Southwark Crown Court heard Caroline was returning from a Christmas dinner in an Uber on December 10, 2020, when Berouain’s Audi Q7 hit him.
Before the horror, the actor was driving at a speed of 60 km/h in a 30 km/h zone in Fulham, in the south-west part of London.
Unfortunately, Caroline could not be saved and was pronounced dead about two hours later.
Police described Berouain as smelling of cannabis when they arrived at the scene, but he refused to provide a roadside sample.
He was taken to Hammersmith Police Station where he again refused to provide blood and urine samples and claimed to be driving 20 to 30 mph.
Berouain then fled the country after being released on bail and first traveled to Dubai before flying to the US.
He was only found when LA police discovered he had applied for a driver’s license in California and revealed his address.
But it took another four years for Berouain to be extradited to the UK after a costly, transatlantic legal battle.
He appeared in court on June 14 this year where he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and careless driving.
The actor, who played teenage gang member Tayo in Eastenders, was sentenced on July 26 when Caroline’s husband Ed read a moving victim impact statement.
The judge said: “Her death has robbed her of the opportunity to become a grandmother and her children and grandchildren are forever deprived of her presence and love as their lives progress.
“The picture that emerges from these statements is of a formidable woman, fiercely devoted to her children and who stood up for what was right. She was also clearly a community-minded person.
“I am very moved by her husband’s description of the street where she lived next to which there were hundreds of friends and mourners on the day of her funeral. It shows that she was a loved and respected woman.”
Atkinson is one of England’s most promising young cricket stars in recent years.
He produced two historic individual performances at Lord’s, taking 12 wickets on his Test debut in July – the most by an England debutant since 1890.
He also took a century against Sri Lanka last week – becoming one of just six cricketers to appear on both honors plaques.
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Berouain appeared in Eastenders as a gang memberCredit: BBC
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He also had a role in the 9/11 miniseries The Looming TowerCredit: Rex Shutterstock
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Caroline was returning from a Christmas night out when she was killed Credit: Instagram
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Atkinson is one of England’s most promising players Credit: Reuters
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