Migrant fails driving check twice then kills pensioner as coroner slams L-plate loophole
A coroner has raised concerns after Timothy Kusemi, who had failed his British driving test twice, killed a pensioner while still legally allowed to drive unsupervised under foreign licence rules
Timothy Kusemi(Image: Hull Live)
A migrant twice failed his driving test before killing a a pensioner. A coroner has now slammed a loophole that permits foreign drivers to remain on Britain’s roads without L-plates.
Timothy Kusemi held a provisional licence when he caused the death of Susan Whittles, 70, at a rural junction in East Yorkshire on November 24, 2023, an inquest was told. The incident has prompted concerns about why overseas drivers can continue motoring unaccompanied despite multiple test failures – regulations that don’t extend to unsupervised British learners.
Kusemi, a Nigerian citizen, had already failed his British driving examination twice before the deadly collision – yet remained legally permitted to drive.
He subsequently failed a further four attempts following Ms Whittles’ death before eventually passing on March, 21 2025 – two years and six months after establishing UK residency.
Coroner Lorraine Harris observed it was “noted that he [Kusemi] continued to drive beyond the 12-month limit on his national licence despite those failures”.
Government guidelines permit individuals from nations where driving standards aren’t deemed equivalent to the UK, including Nigeria, to motor for up to a year after becoming residents while obtaining a British licence.
However, Ms Harris cautioned the arrangement creates a glaring disparity with UK learners, who must be supervised and display L-plates. In a Prevention of Future Deaths report, she stated: “nationals of non-designated countries who fail a GB driving test are not treated in the same way as a GB resident who fails a GB driving test”.
She further explained: “A GB resident is not allowed to drive without appropriate supervision and when they are driving they must display L plates to act as a warning to other vehicles of their inexperience.”
The coroner added that foreign nationals can fail “any number” of tests within their first year in the UK and still continue driving.
This means they can remain on the roads “despite not meeting the safety standards set by the DVSA”, she said.
Ms Harris cautioned that this situation has “the potential to cause a risk of serious injury or harm to other road users”.
She also expressed concern that there “appears no provision for an examiner to withdraw the ability to drive without appropriate supervision despite a person’s failure to meet the required standards”.
Kusemi, then 41, of Lower Bedford Road, London, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving on February 23.
He was sentenced to six years in prison and disqualified from driving for 11 years.
Following the case, Ms Harris has written to the Department for Transport and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) urging them to review the rules.
The Department for Transport must respond to the report by May 26.
A representative stated: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy, and our thoughts are with Susan’s family and loved ones.
“We will carefully review the coroner’s findings from this tragic case to determine whether changes may be required.”
