Drug-driver jailed for 16 years for killing pregnant Cambridge physicist Noga Sella and her father
A drug-driver who killed pregnant Cambridge physicist Noga Sella and her father before fleeing the scene as his victims lay dying has been jailed for 16 years.
Noga, 37, from Milton, and Yoram Hirshfeld, 81, died when Nitesh Bissendary’s car mounted a pavement and hit them, Noga’s husband and their two children in Ramsgate, Kent, in August.
Bissendary, 31, denied causing their deaths by dangerous driving.
But following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court, jurors returned unanimous guilty verdicts after deliberating for just over four hours.
After the verdicts were delivered, Bissendary could be seen sitting down in the dock, taking deep breaths.
Bissendary returned for sentencing on Thursday (December 8), and he was jailed for 16 years as Judge Simon James told him he had shown “limited remorse” following his “blatant disregard for others”.
“I find myself forced to a sure conclusion that you were driving while your judgment was significantly impaired by cocaine,” he said.
“This was in my judgment the most serious offence of its type.
“I consider the custodial term at the very top of the current sentencing range is called for in your case.”
The judge added there are “no words" to describe the “pain and trauma" his actions caused to the family, and labelled Bissendary's actions following the crash "entirely self-serving”.
“They effectively had no chance and in a split second all their lives had been ripped apart.”
He said the CCTV footage played in court “will remain indelibly fixed in the memory of all who have had to watch it.
“It showed that they effectively had no chance and in a split second all their lives had been ripped apart,” he said.
He called Noga - who worked for Cambridge Design Partnership (CDP) and previously at Cambridge Consultants - as a “brilliant physicist” and “much-loved and loving wife, daughter and mother”.
And he described Professor Hirshfeld - a retired maths professor at Tel Aviv University in Israel - as a “learned and intelligent man, whose loss has left a hole in so many different people’s lives."
He told Bissendary: “The consequences of your actions were catastrophically tragic and no words can begin to describe the pain, torment and loss you have caused.”
Noga was five weeks’ pregnant when she died.
Omer Sella, Noga’s husband, watched the hearing remotely. He told the court of his devastation in a victim impact statement.
He said the family were celebrating his wife’s pregnancy moments before she and her father were killed.
“My family’s life changed in a way that is not quite comprehensible to me,” Mr Sella said.
“This was supposed to be Noga’s time to shine and do whatever she wanted to do, Noga has been my strength and pillar.
“Noga was the glue of our family, she held us together, she was an amazing parent who attended to all our children’s needs with ease.
“The feeling that I should have done more will never leave me. I spend the nights repeating what happened, and think ‘what if I stayed longer for dinner?’
“I think ‘what if we walked another way?’
“I tell my children to stay on the pavement and they reply ‘we were on the pavement when the car crashed into us'.”
Prof Hirshfeld’s wife, Julie, told the court that “three families have been shattered” by Bissendary’s actions.
“There are no words to describe the devastating loss of my beloved daughter and husband,” she said.
Representing Bissendary, Surinder Singh Gohlan said he was working to address his cocaine problem while in custody.
Bissendary had argued he became distracted while attempting to lift a faulty clutch with his hand while turning onto the route.
And he insisted he ran from the scene “in a panic” after not realising he had struck anyone - despite Mrs Sella being trapped under the wreckage of his black Alfa Romeo.
He returned to his vehicle with his parents shortly afterwards to retrieve cocaine from his car, as emergency workers treated the injured, the prosecution said.
But Bissendary, of Highlands Glade in Manston, claimed he was unaware of most of the injured family members and only wished to switch off the ignition.
He also claimed he refused to give blood as part of a drug test in the aftermath, because he suffers from a needle phobia.
Speaking after the sentencing, Det Insp Lynn Wilczek, of Kent Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said Bissendary's actions had been “nothing short of disgraceful”.
“There are few things in life as painful as the loss of a loved one, especially when such a loss comes without warning and as the result of someone else’s irresponsible behaviour,” she said.
“To lose two people at the same time is unimaginable.
“From the moment he took cocaine before getting behind the wheel of his car, the actions of Nitesh Bissendary have been nothing short of disgraceful.
“He has refused to take full responsibility for a tragic incident that was completely avoidable and entirely of his making, going so far as to run away whilst his victims lay injured and dying.
“Denying his actions were dangerous only caused more pain for the family as they were forced to relive the terrible events of that night during his trial.
“I am pleased the jury saw fit to convict Bissendary for his crimes and that he will now serve a significant period of time behind bars where he belongs.”
The tragedy happened outside a multi-storey car park in Leopold Street at about 9.30pm on August 10, when the five victims who were visiting the town were returning to their hotel following a meal.
Opening the case, prosecutor Nina Ellin said the crash was “entirely avoidable” and Bissendary’s judgment was impaired after taking cocaine.
“The Crown say the fault of the collision was entirely the defendant's,” she said.
“The collision was entirely avoidable.
“The very fact the vehicle mounted the kerb showed the defendant was not controlling his vehicle as a competent and careful driver should do.”
Mr Gohlan argued Bissendary’s driving was not dangerous, adding he had a momentary lapse in concentration while resolving a clutch issue.
Mrs Sella was pronounced dead at the scene and Prof Hirshfeld died shortly afterwards.
Mr Sella, 40, suffered internal organ damage and their five-year-old daughter sustained a life-threatening head injury.
“From the moment he took cocaine before getting behind the wheel of his car, the actions of Nitesh Bissendary have been nothing short of disgraceful...”
The couple's eight-year-old son suffered shock and minor injuries.
Bissendary was found guilty of two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Before trial, he admitted two lesser charges of causing death by careless driving.
He also pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, failing to provide a sample for analysis and possession with intent to supply cocaine.
Det Insp Wilczek added: “This case should serve as a stark reminder to all motorists of the dangers of drug-driving and why we do not hesitate to take action against anyone who is found to be under the influence.
“Such selfish actions really do put lives at risk.”
Following the tragedy, colleagues and friends paid tribute to Noga.
Matt Schumann, founder and managing director at CDP, said: “Noga was a brilliant physicist who had an enormous impact on those who worked alongside her.
“People who can connect deep scientific knowledge with real-world context are rare, but Noga did this every day, looking at complex technical challenges logically and end-to-end. Her mathematical modelling and simulations were masterly - she could make or break an idea with her genius simulations. The maths didn’t lie.
“Her warmth matched her intelligence. She built people up, helping them feel confident and smart, and ardently championed professional development, particularly for her fellow women in STEM. We’ll miss Noga deeply, and our thoughts are with her family and friends at this sad and difficult time.”
Josh Gibson, who manages the team that Noga used to work for at Cambridge Consultants, said: “She loved working in teams, enjoying sharing ideas and learning from others’ experiences. Especially memorable is Noga’s desire to support women in STEM; she developed close peer-mentoring and support relationships with other female colleagues to ensure everybody felt included.
“Noga also brought her motherhood to work; I loved meeting her daughter, as Noga brought her to a few group meetings after collecting her from nursery.”
Noga was leader of 2nd Milton Guides and Milton Rangers.
Girlguiding Cambridgeshire East’s county commissioner, Claire Course, said: “Noga was respected and cherished by the girls in her unit, as well as her fellow Girlguiding peers.”
