An international student, 20, was killed after being struck by a car while kneeling in the middle of a road in Australia , appearing to pray, according to a report by ABC News . The driver, Ashton Friend, 20, has avoided immediate jail time after being sentenced over the hit-and-run death of Samia Malik in Adelaide in May 2025.
He had pleaded guilty to causing death by careless use of a motor vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident . The court heard that Friend realised his involvement after seeing news reports about Malik’s death, which left him in a state of paralysis. Police identified and arrested him a week after the incident. (Also Read: Bengaluru traffic police slaps auto driver over accident, viral video sparks outrage ) Prosecutor Frank Niemann noted that other drivers had swerved around Malik in the lead-up to her death. He emphasised that Friend had not turned himself in after realising he was the driver involved in Malik’s death. Instead, police had to track him down.
Friend had been driving home from his girlfriend’s house when he struck Malik, according to a report by the Daily Mail . He said that a police car travelling some distance behind Friend had also managed to stop and pull over without hitting her.
Driver apologises to victim’s family
In an apology read to Malik’s family, Friend said he could only imagine the pain they were experiencing and expressed remorse for his actions. “I will have to carry my failures with me for as long as I live,” he said.
