A 19-year-old Leicester man, Mohammed Musa, has been sentenced to a suspended prison term after leading police on a dangerous high-speed chase through the city, raising significant safety concerns for both pedestrians and other road users. The incident occurred on Saturday, March 22, when Musa took his father's Audi A4, which bore cloned number plates, and ventured out after a night of studying to buy food.
According to reports from Leicester Magistrates' Court, the chase began on London Road when two Leicestershire Police officers, in a marked vehicle, activated their emergency lights in an attempt to pull him over. Rather than complying, Musa accelerated away, disregarding traffic signals as he jumped a red light near the city’s railway station. Prosecutor Sally Bedford detailed the events, explaining how Musa continued to drive at high speed around the inner ring road, even passing over the Burleys Flyover, before ultimately stopping outside St Margaret's Bus Station, appearing to relent.
However, as soon as the police approached, Musa once again sped away, going through another red light on St Margaret's Way. Bedford highlighted a critical aspect of Musa's behaviour—he drove against the flow of traffic on one-way streets and turned off his headlights in an effort to evade capture, demonstrating a blatant disregard for the safety of others and himself, particularly during a busy period linked to the night-time economy.
After losing sight of the vehicle, police later identified the Audi parked improperly in New Bond Street behind the Highcross shopping centre. CCTV footage revealed Musa abandoning the car and entering a waiting Ford Fiesta, which subsequently took him back to his home on Aikman Avenue in New Parks, Leicester. In a twist of events, police were waiting for him when he arrived home, leading to his arrest. During his police interview, Musa admitted to all charges.
Musa, a first-year cyber security student at De Montfort University, came to the UK with his family from Sudan a decade ago. In mitigation, his representative, Gurjit Gill, argued that Musa's actions stemmed from immaturity and presented a character reference from one of his lecturers, describing him as a "polite, engaged and hard-working student."
Initially facing a potentially lengthy prison sentence for charges that included dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, and lacking insurance, Musa narrowly avoided incarceration. The chair of the bench, Gareth Roberts, acknowledged the severity of the offence but decided to impose a 24-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, underscoring the proximity Musa was to immediate incarceration. Additionally, Musa was ordered to pay £85 in court costs and a £154 victim surcharge and was banned from driving for a year.
Roberts cautioned Musa, stating, "You were very, very, very close to going to prison today. If you put a foot wrong in the next 12 months you will be going to prison." This warning serves as a stark reminder of the consequences associated with such dangerous behaviour on the roads.
Source: Noah Wire Services