A BANNED and uninsured driver pulling donuts at an illegal ‘car racing event’ in Bradford sped off and crashed into a Mercedes garage doing £50,000 worth of damage.
Daniaal Mohammed was jailed for two years at Bradford Crown Court for two offences of driving dangerously during police pursuits.
The first, on August 7, 2020, took place in Morrisons car park on Young Street and while Mohammed was chased until he crashed through a wall into a parked Mercedes at the dealership on Thornton Road.
His co-accused, Sadaf Mushtaq, a carer who told a complete pack of lies to the police to try to escape any liability for the smashed-up BMW she had hired, was spared an immediate jail sentence.
The court heard that Mushtaq, 27, whose address was Gibraltar Road Halifax, but the court heard she had since left the area, hired the vehicle from Thrifty Car Rental knowing that only she was insured to drive it.
CCTV footage showed that Mohammed was at the wheel when it arrived at an apartment block in Peckover Street, Little Germany, Bradford, at 10.50pm the next day.
Mohammed, 22, of Blackwood Grove, Halifax, later drove off alone in the BMW and half an hour later a police officer heard a screeching of tyres and saw the car pulling do-nuts in Morrisons car park in Girlington.
The court heard that the car park had a reputation for that sort of driving activity.
The officer activated his sirens and blue lights and ordered Mohammed to stop.
Instead, he sped off, driving straight through a red light and almost hitting another vehicle.
Moments later, the BMW crashed through a wall at the Mercedes-Benz garage causing £50,000 damage.
Mohammed escaped on foot and was caught on CCTV returning on foot to Peckover Street at about 11.50pm.
He and Mushtaq were then seen having a heated argument in the apartment block. She was said to be heavily intoxicated and ‘less than impressed’ by the news of the BMW crash.
She was then seen to leave her handbag on some steps on nearby East Parade. A woman retrieved it at 3.35am and took it inside a building.
Later that day, Mustaq reported that the bag had been stolen with the keys to the BMW in it. She told ‘a complete pack of lies’ to the investigating officer and made no mention of Mohammed.
On the evening of February 18 this year, while on bail, Mohammed again drove dangerously.
He was pursued by the police from Keele services on the M6 during an amber weather warning for Storm Eunice, doing 125mph across the Thelwall Viaduct in high winds, hail and sleet.
During the pursuit on to M62 eastbound, he deliberately swerved several times at the police. His VW Golf was stopped by a stinger device that deflated the tyres.
He jumped over the barrier on to the westbound carriageway into the path of oncoming vehicles.
Mohammed pleaded guilty to two offences of dangerous driving, failing to stop and driving while disqualified and unlicensed. Mushtaq pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.
In mitigation for Mushtaq, it was said that she was felt emotionally blackmailed and didn’t know what the consequences of lying to the police would be. She had never been in trouble before and had since moved away from ‘negative influences.’ Andrew Walker, mitigating for Mohammed, said his wife was expecting their child and that had led to a very real change in his lifestyle.
Recorder Judy Dawson said Mushtaq knew she was the only person insured to drive the BMW. Her then boyfriend Mohammed drove it to Bradford and then went to some sort of ‘unauthorised car racing event’ late that night.
The police saw him pulling donuts and he crashed into the garage wall, causing £50,000 damage to the car, the wall and a parked Mercedes.
Then, on February 18 this year, he put two police officers ‘in certain danger’ by deliberately swerving at them several times in the high speed motorway pursuit.
Mohammed was jailed for a total of two years and banned from driving for three years and until he passes an extended test.
Mushtaq was jailed for 12 months, suspended for two years, with 40 rehabilitation activity days.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article