A Bradford man who had never held a driving licence has been jailed after leading police on a high-speed chase in a stolen car before crashing head-on into a Range Rover.
Qasim Hussain, 31, of Sherwell Rise, Allerton, was driving a stolen Seat Leon when officers spotted the vehicle on Ferrand Avenue, Bierley, on May 6.
The court heard the Seat had been taken during a robbery the previous night.
When Hussain saw the marked police car behind him, he accelerated away and ignored blue lights and sirens.
Reached Twice The Speed Limit
Prosecutor Bashir Ahmed told Bradford Crown Court that Hussain turned onto Bierley Lane and accelerated to around twice the 30mph speed limit.
He then entered Greenfield Lane, a narrow country road, where he narrowly avoided collisions with other vehicles.
The pursuit lasted around three minutes and was captured on police video.
Drove Into Dead End Before Turning Around
Hussain eventually drove into a dead end at an industrial estate.
Mr Ahmed said this did not deter him.
He turned the Seat around, drove back past the pursuing police vehicle and continued trying to evade officers.
The police car also turned around and followed.
Head-On Crash With Range Rover
The chase ended on Mill Carr Hill Road.
The court heard Hussain drove onto the offside of the road and collided head-on with a Range Rover travelling in the opposite direction.
Hussain was arrested from the Seat following the crash.
A female passenger was also in the vehicle.
Both the Seat and the Range Rover were written off.
Driver Injured In Crash
The Range Rover driver suffered whiplash, concussion and bruising caused by the activation of the airbags.
The collision also aggravated an earlier fracture to her back from 2025 which was still healing.
The court heard the crash caused her £5,720 in lost earnings as well as a £1,750 vehicle excess.
Hussain Had Never Held A Licence
Following his arrest, the court heard Hussain tested positive for cocaine.
It was also revealed that he had never held a driving licence.
He was therefore also uninsured.
Hussain pleaded guilty on the day of trial to taking a vehicle without consent, dangerous driving and driving without a licence or insurance.
23 Previous Convictions
The court heard Hussain had 23 previous convictions covering 48 offences.
His record included theft and driving offences.
In 2019, he was jailed for dangerous driving.
Defence Says Lifestyle Was ‘Chaotic’
Mitigating, Tom Doyle said Hussain’s lifestyle at the time had been “chaotic”.
He said Hussain had suffered from drug-induced psychosis and depression and had disengaged from taking prescribed medication.
The court was also told Hussain had previously attempted to take his own life.
Mr Doyle said Hussain was already in custody after being sentenced for affray, assault and public order offences committed on Christmas Day.
He argued that Hussain had already spent several months in custody and had effectively already been punished to a significant extent.
‘He Fully Recognises What He Did Was Wrong’
Mr Doyle said Hussain understood the impact his driving had had on the victim.
“He is fully recognising what he did was wrong – that it has caused untold harm to the victim, and he wishes through me to apologise for this,” he said.
Hussain appeared at court via video link from HMP Leeds.
21 Months In Prison
Recorder Patrick Palmer said he had taken into account the video footage of the chase and crash.
He said it was clear Hussain had been trying to evade police.
Hussain was sentenced to a total of 21 months in prison.
He was also disqualified from driving for 22 months, with a further 10-month extension, making the total ban 32 months.
Time already spent on remand will count towards his sentence.
