A Nigerian migrant who failed his UK driving test on two occasions has been linked to a fatal accident after taking advantage of a loophole in the country’s licensing system, an inquest has revealed.

Timothy Kusemi, 41, was reportedly driving without supervision on a provisional licence when he struck 70-year-old Susan Whittles in 2023. She died at the scene, while her husband sustained serious injuries.

Kusemi pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving last month and was subsequently sentenced to six years in prison.

The incident has drawn attention to a gap in UK regulations that permits certain foreign drivers to continue operating vehicles using overseas or provisional licences.

Coroner Lorraine Harris noted that individuals from non-designated countries can still rely on a 12-month window to drive in the UK on foreign licences, even after repeatedly failing local driving tests and not meeting required safety standards.

She highlighted the absence of safeguards to prevent such drivers from continuing to drive unsupervised after multiple failed attempts and called for urgent reforms to the law.

The inquest heard that Kusemi arrived in the UK in 2022 and failed his driving tests twice before the fatal incident. He reportedly failed additional tests afterward before eventually obtaining a UK driver’s licence in 2025.