The two drivers found guilty of causing the death of a 16-year-old Oldham schoolgirl who was walking to college have each been jailed for 14 years.

Omar Choudhury, 22, and Hamidur Rahman, 24, were found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving on August 14 following a trial at Minshull Street Crown Court.

Rahman, of Tilbury Street, Oldham, had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving but not guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and Choudhury of Broadway, Royton, pleaded not guilty to both dangerous driving and causing death by dangerous driving.

The jury determined the pair were both responsible for killing Alisha Goup, from Royton, as she walked along Rochdale Road on her way to college on February 23 this year.

Today, at Minshull Street Crown Court, Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones sentenced the pair to 14 years in prison each.

When sentencing the pair, the Judge said Alisha was clearly "a source of immense pride to her family".

Judge Corbett-Jones said the pair's driving was "highly inappropriate" and described the pursuit as "prolonged and persistent".

He said both men deliberately ignored the rules of the road and placed many people in danger.

He added that Choudhury's claim that Rahman was threatened by Rahman did not justify "the appalling driving which followed" and felt Choudhury did not believe the rules of the road applied to him.

Judge Corbett-Jones said he did not distinguish between the two defendants.

During the trial, prosecutor Henry Blackshaw said that Alisha was killed instantly after being hit by Choudhury in a BMW 3 series coupe when he lost control after overtaking a line of stationary traffic while going 66 mph, more than twice the road’s 30 mph speed limit.

Mr Blackshaw said it was the prosecution’s case that Rahman’s driving was a “contributory factor” in how Choudhury drove and that the pair shared responsibility for the crash.

He told jurors that prior to the crash, the two men had fallen out due to a dispute over a girl. On the day of the crash, Rahman pulled up alongside Choudhury and “cross words” were exchanged.

Rahman then got out of his car and ran towards Choudhury “brandishing a small baseball bat” and began “threatening him”.

Read our coverage of the trial here:

Mr Blackshaw said Choudhury then "took off like a rocket" and the two cars then began travelling in convoy at "tremendous speed".

Six seconds before the crash Rahman turned off down a side street 155 metres from the crash site.

In his evidence, Choudhury told jurors he thought Rahman was “chasing” him and their cars were “bumper to bumper” up until the point of the crash. He said he had feared for his life and drove the way he did to “shake off” Rahman.

Rahman said in his evidence that he was not responsible for how Choudhury drove or what happened to Alisha.

He told jurors: "I turned off and the situation finished then.”

When asked by Mr Blackshaw whether he was partly responsible for causing the fatal crash he said: "No not at all I wasn't on the scene."

In his closing speech for the prosecution, Mr Blackwell urged the jury to “cut through the blame game” when considering their verdict.

In a statement published after the two men were found guilty, Anthony Stanway, senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: “Hamidur Rahman and Omar Choudhury’s manner of driving was selfish and reckless.

"They put many lives at risk that day with the worst possible outcome, the death of a young girl who had her whole life ahead of her.

“Neither man took responsibility for their actions, putting Alisha’s family through the further trauma of a trial. Nothing can bring Alisha back, but I hope this conviction goes some way to comfort her family at this difficult time.

“All drivers have a responsibility to drive safely, this case shows the devastating consequences of not doing so. We will robustly prosecute those who disregard the rules of the road and the safety of pedestrians and other road users.”