Repeat driving offender from Northampton who 'could have killed' someone sent to prison following police chase

A repeat driving offender from Northampton has been sent to prison after leading police in a 60mph chase in a country lane that 'could have killed' someone if they had been caught between his headlights.

Mohammed Arif, of Hanemill Court, Northampton, was spotted by police on the night of October 29, 2021 who suspected he was not insured to drive his then-girlfriend's Vauxhall Astra, Northampton Crown Court heard on Thursday (February 10).

When the 21-year-old was signaled to stop, he instead took off at speed, sparking a chase with two female passengers still inside the car, the court heard.

Naeem Valli, prosecuting, said: "The defendant mounted the curb on the A45 westbound carriageway and contravened a red light, forcing oncoming traffic to stop.

"The defendant continued to drive at 60mph in a 30mph zone. Oncoming vehicles again had to take evasive action to prevent a crash."

At one stage in the police's dashcam footage shown to the court, the offender is seen to break suddenly and swerve, narrowly avoiding a stunned van driver who was pulling out of a side road.

Mr Valli added: "The defendant passed The Crown public house and almost collided with a member of the public. He then turned down a country lane which was a dead-end road and collided with a bollard, where the vehicle became undrivable.

"The defendant then exited the vehicle and made off from the scene, although he later returned and was arrested by the pursuing officers."

By the end, the chase had crossed from Mereway Northampton over to High Street, Hardingstone and then ended at Houghton Hill, Hardingstone.

It was found that Arif was already on police bail for a separate drug-driving offence in Norwich on April 18, that same year, which he had committed whilst driving his own car.

Flora Page, who defended Arif, argued that the defendant was 'immature' for his age and described him as having an 'otherworldly way of presenting himself.'

The barrister also argued that because Arif no longer owns a car, has broken up with his girlfriend and his dad won't let the offender use his car, that Arif would be unlikely to violate his driving ban again.

But His Honour Judge Mayo, presiding, was not convinced, stating that Arif's repeated offending and threat posed to the public by his antics were sufficient to send him to prison.

Judge Mayo said: "In April of last year, you were stopped from driving for having drugs in your system and you weren't sentenced for those offences until November 2019. But you were on police bail for those offences when in October of last year you drove a Vauxhall dangerously on residential roads in the early evening.

"You had no regard for your passengers' or your own safety, or that of those around you.

"What makes it particularly concerning is that you were driving down a particularly narrow highway path that was a dead end. It was sign-posted as such. People use that path to exercise their dogs and themselves and, had you met someone there, you could have killed them.

"I was looking for a reasonable chance of rehabilitation, for sufficient signs of contrition on your part, for any harmful impacts on dependents or loved ones. I do not find those in this case."

Arif was sentenced to nine months in prison. He was also disqualified from driving for 24 months plus an 18 week extension period, to account for his time in prison.