A driver jailed for causing a high-speed crash near Birmingham City FC’s St Andrew’s Stadium had previously been convicted as part of a violent car-jacking gang whose sentence was increased by the Court of Appeal.
Azam Adal, 30, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison after driving at speeds of up to 90mph in a 30mph zone on Cattell Road before colliding with a Toyota Yaris at the junction with Arsenal Street.
The crash, which took place shortly before midnight on 29 March 2024, left a mother with life-threatening injuries after she was trapped in the vehicle.
Collision investigators found Adal had been travelling at around 90mph moments before impact, reducing to between 77 and 80mph just metres before the collision.
The victim, a front-seat passenger in the Yaris, suffered a fractured skull, brain bleeding, broken ribs, pelvis, vertebrae and coccyx, along with internal injuries. She required surgery, blood transfusions and the insertion of plates and screws, and was separated from her children for months during her recovery.
After the crash, Adal left the scene and asked a passing driver to take him to hospital before attempting to conceal his involvement.
He contacted his brother-in-law, Luqmaan Ali, 29, instructing him to collect the keys to the Audi S3 and falsely report it as stolen. Ali later admitted the claim was false and pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice, receiving an 18-month sentence.
Adal’s DNA was recovered from the vehicle’s airbag, linking him to the crash.
At Birmingham Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was also disqualified from driving for six years and eight months.
Adal had previously been jailed as part of a group involved in a series of violent car-jackings across Birmingham.
In 2019, the Court of Appeal increased his sentence from three years and 10 months to six years after ruling the original punishment was unduly lenient.
He and two others, Sarweeth Rehman and Hussun Ashraf, had carried out attacks on drivers using weapons including golf clubs, baseball bats and metal bars.
The court heard victims were targeted and assaulted in order to steal vehicles, with one woman dragged from her car during an incident in 2017.
Police said the group also used a tow-truck to remove multiple vehicles during a series of offences between May and June 2016.
The earlier convictions were cited as part of Adal’s criminal history following the latest case.