A motorist who put lives at risk during a terrifying 18-mile police pursuit across Dorset, reaching speeds of 100mph, has been sent to prison.
A reckless pursuit captured on dashcam
Sarwar Rasool Mustafa, aged 27 and from Chard in Somerset, ignored police sirens and led officers on a chase from Bere Regis to Ferndown on the morning of 22 June. The pursuit began at around 9.45am after officers spotted his grey BMW 1 Series on the A35, suspecting it had cloned plates and no insurance.
Dashcam footage from the incident reveals the sheer danger of Mustafa's driving. He ran red lights, ignored double white lines, and overtook numerous vehicles in a highly dangerous manner. At one point, he even reversed into a pursuing police car.
Narrow misses and oncoming traffic
The chase forced other road users to take evasive action. Cars were seen pulling onto the hard shoulder as Mustafa veered onto the wrong side of the road, speeding towards oncoming traffic. In one particularly close call, he swerved back into his lane in busy traffic, narrowly avoiding a collision with a car towing a caravan.
When blocked by a police car, he swerved left and accelerated through quiet residential streets. His desperate attempt to escape only ended when he made a critical error, turning into a cul-de-sac where police were able to box him in and make the arrest.
Sentencing and police condemnation
At Bournemouth Crown Court, Mustafa was sentenced to 18 months in prison after admitting to:
- Dangerous driving
- Failing to stop for police
- Driving without insurance
- Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence
He was also disqualified from driving for 40 months.
PC Mark Palmer of the Dorset Police Roads Policing Team said the outcome was fortunate. "Mustafa was travelling at speeds of up to around 100mph and overtook many vehicles in a dangerous manner," he stated. "It is extremely lucky that he was not involved in a collision and no other road users were harmed by his reckless driving. The dashcam footage from this incident is shocking - there is no excuse for driving the way that Mustafa did that day. This could have ended in devastating and tragic consequences."
PC Palmer emphasised the broader responsibility all drivers hold, urging everyone to make good decisions and drive within the law to protect themselves and others on the road.
