A BANNED driver seen showing off in an infantile fashion in a powerful Subaru Impreza shortly before causing a postal worker life-threatening injuries has been jailed for four years and seven months.

Mohammed Arman Qamar smashed into an Audi on Bradford’s Horton Park Avenue on the evening of January 2, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Qamar, 29, of Albert Place, Bradford Moor, Bradford, had been given a suspended jail sentence the previous month for dangerous driving.

Before then his ‘dreadful’ record for motoring offences included careless driving, failing to report an accident and driving over the drug limit.

Prosecutor Nicola Hoskins said Qamar was jailed for eight months, suspended for 18 months, on December 9 and banned for 18 months.

Less than a month later he was showing off in the blue Subaru Impreza he had bought just days before he knew he would be disqualified from driving.

Footage from a petrol station in Great Horton showed Qamar driving in ‘a showing off kind of way’ about 15 minutes before the crash. Miss Hoskins said he was ‘making strange manoeuvres on the forecourt.’ Soon afterwards, he pulled out of a junction and smashed into the Audi trapping the driver inside.

Qamar and his passengers, one of whom was shown to be injured, then left the scene without doing anything to help.

The Audi driver was taken to Leeds General Infirmary with life-threatening injuries that included multiple skull fractures.

An eye-witness recalled the Impreza pulling out at speed right in front of the Audi causing the ‘horrific’ crash.

A police officer arrived at about 10pm to find two heavily damaged vehicles. He said it was one of the worst collisions he had ever seen. It was a miracle that no one was killed.

The injured man, a married father of two, had been unable to work since. He had spent his life savings supporting his family because of the drop in income.

On June 7, Qamar was again driving dangerously in central Bradford at night, this time in a VW Golf.

He sped away from the police in the Bowling Back Lane area, narrowly avoiding a member of the public on Dick Lane.

After doing double the speed limit he parked up, then tried to flee but was blocked in by a police car.

He pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and uninsured; and dangerous driving while uninsured and banned. He was locked up on remand in Leeds Prison before today’s hearing.

Andrew Dallas said in mitigation that Qamar was very remorseful and fully appreciated the seriousness of what he had done.

Prison was inevitable and his submissions went to the length of that sentence.

Qamar was a hardworking man who had completed an apprenticeship to qualify as a car mechanic. He was the major breadwinner for his family and it was going to be very hard for them when he was in jail.

Judge Jonathan Rose said Qamar had a dreadful record for driving. He was a mature man who knew full well the danger, damage and injury a vehicle could cause.

Days before he appeared in court for dangerous driving in December, he bought a powerful car capable of high speed.

Less than a month after receiving a suspended sentence and a driving ban he committed the appalling piece of driving on January 2. He drove dangerously for a prolonged and persistent period with ‘infantile’ showing off at a petrol station to impress his passengers.

He then went double the speed limit with a wanton disregard for other road users and pedestrians. It ended with him pulling out at high speed and smashing into the postal worker who had a wife and two children.

It was very near to the most serious offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving that one could imagine, Judge Rose said.

Many would think the maximum five-year sentence wasn’t enough but he was bound by the law, even if Qamar wasn’t.

Qamar had then driven again while banned, on a suspended sentence order and having been involved in a road traffic accident.

He had obtained another car for his ‘amusement’ to drive at night. It was another grave offence that attracted a custodial sentence.

The total jail term was 55 months. Qamar was banned from driving for six years with a 27-month uplift while he’s in prison.