Tahira Shaheen hit 12-year-old Alexis Lloyd, who was on her way to school in Willetton, in June 2023. The girl was left with broken bones requiring surgery and needed a wheelchair.
Tahira Shaheen hit 12-year-old Alexis Lloyd, who was on her way to school in Willetton, in June 2023. The girl was left with broken bones requiring surgery and needed a wheelchair.
By Rebecca Peppiatt and Heather McNeill
April 29, 2025 — 2.23pm
A Perth judge has cast doubt on claims about the culpability of a woman who was due to be sentenced for the hit-and-run of a Willetton schoolgirl two years ago, remarking that a report claiming the driver had the verbal ability of a 10-year-old was “not adding up”.
Tahira Shaheen, 51, was arrested in June 2023 after she was found to be the driver of a white Suzuki Baleno hatchback that hit 12-year-old Alexis Lloyd at a school pedestrian crossing on Pinetree Gully Road.
At the time, police released several CCTV stills and footage of a vehicle in their search for the driver, who they claimed did not stop to assist the young girl after the incident.
The schoolgirl suffered two fractures to her collarbone and right leg, which required surgery and required her to spend weeks in a wheelchair.
Shaheen was due to be sentenced over the incident on Tuesday, having pleaded guilty in November 2024, but a neuropsychology report delayed the hearing after the presiding judge was sceptical of its contents.
The court heard the woman was assessed by a psychologist as having the verbal ability of a 10-year-old and the non-verbal ability of a six-year-old, despite having completed two years in a Pakistan college and holding a full driver’s licence.
“It’s just not adding up sorry,” District Court Judge Laura Christian said.
“I’m not prepared to accept it because it’s just irreconcilable with other information.
“One of the most significant aspects of the offending is the need for general deterrence, but a person with an intellectual disability would suggest they are not an appropriate vehicle for general deterrence.”
The court heard prosecutors were seeking an immediate term of imprisonment.
Outside court, Shaheen told media she was sorry.
“I apologise, I am mother, I am woman,” she said.
“I am not angel, I am human. I am not doing intentionally. It is an accident.”
Lloyd’s mother, Tory Carter, told media outside court she felt the claim Shaheen was intellectually impaired was a “stalling tactic”.
“I just think it’s a bit of a joke. We found out on Friday, four days before the sentencing, that she is intellectually disabled. She’s been granted a full driver’s licence since the incident,” she said.
“It’s a stalling tactic, and it’s not fair.”
Carter said she wanted justice to be served.
“People need to know that you can’t just hit a child, drive off and not come forward,” she said.
Carter said her daughter was still suffering with pain from the break in her leg, and had since been with diagnosed with PTSD from the incident.
Shaheen will be sentenced on October 17.
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Rebecca Peppiatt – is a journalist with WAtoday, specialising in crime and courts.Connect via email.
Heather McNeill is the deputy editor and chief reporter at WAtoday.Connect via Twitter.
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