A driver who ploughed into a university student and left her to die in the middle of the road has been jailed.

Mohammed Youssaf, 33, hit 18-year-old Emma Guilbert as she crossed a road in Newcastle in November 2018, Northumbria Police said.

Officers said the “horrendous” collision propelled Miss Guilbert about 36m (120ft) along the road in the Fenham area of the city.

A force spokesman said Youssaf was believed to have been travelling at more than 40mph on the 30mph road when he struck the Newcastle University student at a pedestrian crossing on Wingrove Road.

The day her life ended was the day our family’s life changed forever in the most harrowing, tragic, inconceivably inhumane way.

He said the defendant was jailed for 30 months at Newcastle Crown Court on Tuesday after he was found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. He was also given a 51-month driving ban.

The jury heard how Youssaf did not stop his Peugeot 307 after hitting Miss Guilbert. She died in hospital three days later.

Youssaf, of Wingrove Road, Fenham, eventually handed himself in to police.

Miss Guilbert, who was from the Manchester area, had been a psychology student at Newcastle University for just six weeks, officers said.

Her father, Martin, said: “From the day Emma was born she lit up our lives and those around her.

“She was so caring, full of kindness, considerate in her thoughts and actions, intelligent, fun, witty – as parents we could go on, for she had so many gifts and talents.”

Mr Guilbert said his daughter “had the world at her feet”, adding: “The day her life ended was the day our family’s life changed forever in the most harrowing, tragic, inconceivably inhumane way – because someone took her life, decided to speed in a car, hit our daughter violently and then sped away.

“We now have a family that is broken and can never be mended, because Emma is dead. The light that illuminated our lives has gone and with it that precious light has gone too from our lives.”

Mr Guilbert said he wanted to thank people who helped his daughter after she was left for dead in the street.

He said: “Thank you to the wonderful lady who stopped to do all she could to give Emma comfort as she lay dying; the ambulance paramedics who attended giving Emma the chance of surviving.”

He added: “Emma you will never be forgotten. You will never be left cast aside as you were that day. You will be held, precious in our hearts, forever.”

Inspector Ian Cutty said: “This is a horrendous case that has robbed a family of a loving young woman who had just taken her first steps into adulthood.

“Emma was starting an exciting new life in Newcastle but just weeks after her arrival she was mowed down by Mohammed Youssef and left to die alone in the middle of the road.

“His driving that night was appalling.

“He was driving so fast that Emma was flung more than 36 metres down the road by the force of his impact.

“But what made his actions so deplorable was the fact that he did not even bother to rush to her aid, instead fleeing the scene in a desperate attempt to avoid justice.”