A banned driver has been jailed for two and a half years after leading police on a high-speed chase through Birmingham, reaching speeds of 115mph in 30mph zones. Kamar Farooq, 30, from Aston, was driving a BMW M3 when officers attempted to stop him in the city last September.
The pursuit continued through parts of Solihull before ending when Farooq crashed into a traffic island and collided with a car at a petrol station in Chester Road, Castle Bromwich. After the crash, he jumped into the back seat of the car, alongside two other men, and claimed to have been a passenger.
However, CCTV footage from earlier in the evening showed that the clothes worn by the driver matched those of Farooq. He denied dangerous driving and driving while banned, but was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court and also received a 10-year driving ban.
PC Robert Lattimer of West Midlands Police described the incident as 'reckless driving by someone who should not have been behind the wheel'. He added: 'This was a high-performance vehicle and the outcome could have been much worse. He now faces a long time behind bars rather than behind the wheel of a car.'
