Leeds driver had 'look of sheer panic' as he narrowly missed pedestrians in Harehills while evading police
A Leeds man had a “look of sheer panic on his face” as he recklessly drove a damaged and smoking car while trying to evade police.
Muhammad Ahmad, 22, sped off from officers through Harehills before driving the wrong way down a dual carriageway, colliding with the central reservation and taking off on foot.
He was eventually caught in a garden and charged with one count of dangerous driving, for which he was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday (October 30).
Police were patrolling the Harehills area at 3.15pm on June 30 this year when they spotted a black Audi RS7 that was “taking unusual routes”.
After discovering that the vehicle was not registered, the officers pulled the car over on Strathmore Drive and asked Ahmad, who was in the vehicle with a passenger, to turn the engine off.
For the prosecution, Matthew Moore-Taylor said: “The defendant then pulled away at speed.”
Dashcam footage from the police car showed Ahmad racing off through Foundry Drive and reaching speeds of 60mph in a 20mph zone before turning on to Easterly Road, colliding with the central reservation and driving the wrong way down the dual carriageway “at excessive speed”.
The police car had to abort the chase due to the risk it posed to passers by as the Audi drove off smoke billowing out of it. Fortunately, another police van had turned onto Easterly Road “by coincidence” and noticed the car. Ahmad was “clearly not in control” and had a “look of sheer panic on his face as he narrowly missed members of the public”.
He then abandoned the car and tried to make off on foot by jumping into a garden on Lawrence Crescent but he was soon caught by police and arrested.
Multiple mobile phones were found in the car and “scattered” along the route Ahmad had tried to run off in.
Ahmad, of Shepherds Place in Moortown, gave no comment to police in interview and was charged with dangerous driving. The owner of the vehicle was never established and no further action was taken over the mobile phones and cash found at the scene.
Mitigating, Olivia Fraser highlighted that Ahmad has no previous convictions and had apologised and shown remorse over the incident. He had pleaded guilty on the date of trial.
Ahmad had “strong family ties”, Ms Fraser added, and he had kept the incident from them “out of shame”.
His Honour Judge Mansell KC sentenced Ahmad to a year in prison, suspended for a year, and ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work. He was also disqualified from driving for a year.