A disqualified driver who was caught on camera knocking down and seriously injuring a pedestrian in Cardiff city centre has today (15 Aug) been jailed.
Mohammed Yousef Arshad, 23, drove over a pavement in his attempt to get away from police and was driving above the speed limit when he struck John Dare, 45, who was about to cross the road.
He had been driving along Westgate Street on 26 July this year when a policeman in a marked vehicle stopped him to conduct a check after the car triggered his Automatic Number Plate Recognition system. Arshad sped away from the officer, driving between other vehicles to try to escape.
He was disqualified from driving at the time after being caught driving whilst disqualified in 2016. He was first banned from the wheel following an incident of driving without due care and attention in 2015.
Mr Dare suffered serious injuries including a fractured arm and multiple lacerations.
Leighton Mawer of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “At the time of the collision Arshad was driving on the wrong side of the road.
“Despite colliding with a pedestrian, who was then thrown over the vehicle’s bonnet, Arshad carried on driving in an attempt to evade the police.
“Arshad shouldn’t have been on the road at all that day but chose to ignore the previous court order banning him from driving. That decision had terrible consequences for Mr Dare, to whom we wish a speedy recovery.”
Mohammad Arshad was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to three years in prison for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, four months concurrently for aggravated vehicle taking, four months concurrently for driving whilst disqualified and four months concurrently for failure to stop. He also received a two month concurrent sentence for breach of a community order.
Arshad also disqualified from driving for six years and six months. He will have to pass an extended driving test.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS
- Leighton Mawer is a Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS Cymru-Wales.
- Video footage of the incident has been made available to media on a pooled basis and can be obtained by contacting [email protected]
