Jail for driver who went on the run for four years (From Worcester News)

Jail for driver who went on the run for four years

5:00pm Sunday 21st March 2010 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

A DRIVER who led police on a high-speed chase through Worcester was arrested after a struggle and then went on the run for four years after being bailed by magistrates.

Mushtaq Hussain was not re-arrested until last October, when he checked in at Manchester airport. He had been stopped in Worcester last April but was released after giving a false name.

Hussain, aged 28, of Hill Avenue, off Bath Road, Worcester, was jailed for 18 months at Worcester Crown Court after admitting driving dangerously and while disqualified on January 2, 2005, and possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

He also admitted attempting to pervert the course of justice by giving his brother’s name when stopped by police in Millwood Drive, Warndon, Worcester, on April 15, 2009.

The four-mile chase began in Brickfields Road, Brickfields, when police spotted a Nissan Sunny that was not registered, said Gareth Walters, prosecuting.

The car reached 70mph along city streets and a man and a child had to leap out of the way to avoid being hit.

The Sunny finally crashed into the back of a stationary Ford Focus in Newtown Road but Hussain ran off.

Chased by PC Andrew Bradley, he tried to scale a fence. The officer was helped by members of the public as he used CS gas to subdue him.

A search of Hussain’s car revealed cannabis bush worth £1,259 with scales and mobile phones. Hussain claimed he supplied a few friends to fund his own habit.

Andrew Baker, defending, said Hussain had a complex life and was first in an arranged marriage in Pakistan. He returned to Britain in 2005 as a regular cannabis user.

He was aware the strongly-smelling drug was in his car when he was stopped by police and drove off in panic.

Hussain, who had two children in Pakistan and one in Britain, had worked hard as a waiter in an Indian restaurant, said Mr Baker. He said Hussain had since tried to “bury his head in the sand”.

Judge John Cavell, who disqualified Hussain from driving for two years, said it was lucky no one had been injured during the chase. His determination to escape detection was shown by his struggle with police, going on the run for four years and giving a false name.