Horror Leeds city centre smash left pedestrian with broken spine after driver deliberately went the wrong way

Amer Saeed pulled out of New York Street onto Vicar Lane on the afternoon of March 31, and collided with the man crossing the street.

Prosecuting the case at Leeds Crown Court, Anthony Moore said the victim had come from the indoor market at around 1.45pm and was crossing the road towards the bus stop on Vicar Lane, checking there was no traffic coming from the correct direction on the one-way street.

But he was then struck by the blue Nissan Note driven by 47-year-old Saeed heading the wrong way. He was thrown up in the air and landed on the bonnet before rolling onto the road. An eye witness later told police the car had been “travelling at speed”.

The pedestrian tried to get to his feet but was unable to stand as others rushed to his aid. He was taken to Leeds General Infirmary where he waited for more than four hours to be treated. Scans later showed he suffered a process fracture to his lumbar spine. He spent 24 hours in hospital before being discharged.

Saeed, of Thomas Street, Woodhouse, admitted a charge of causing serious injury through careless driving. He has two previous convictions, both for driving matters.

Mitigating, Ian Hudson said Saeed, who is from Kurdistan, previously had a fish and chip shop business but sold it after Covid and had been working as a delivery driver.

On the day of the collision, the father-of-three had just dropped off a delivery which was supported by CCTV footage.

Having interviewed Saeed, probation officer Malcolm Brown told the court: “He understands that he should have known better, and he can’t explain why he did that.”

Judge Ray Singh told Saeed: “It’s to your credit that you admitted this from the outset. But it seems to me it was a deliberate manoeuvre to save time and expense.

"You drove at speed through lights, turning right when you should not have done and collided with the pedestrian. It was a deliberate unsafe manoeuvre.”

He gave him an 18-month community order, 25 rehabilitation days and banned him from driving for 12 months.