Hawkar Karimi's own dashcam footage showed him chasing another vehicle through residential streets at high speed before shunting it into a busy Edge Lane. The incident occurred after a road rage dispute in Liverpool.
Dashcam Footage Shows High-Speed Chase
Liverpool Crown Court heard last week that Karimi, of Salisbury Road in Wavertree, was involved in a road rage incident with a second, unnamed male shortly after 7pm on September 13 last year. The 37-year-old defendant's dashcam footage showed both men exchanging blows in the road before he got back into his Hackney carriage and chased the other male, driving dangerously around the L15 area.
Paul Blasbery, prosecuting, detailed how Karimi traveled at speed along residential streets and ran a red light while pursuing the other man along Durning Road and Botanic Road. He said: "On one occasion, the defendant collided with the rear of the vehicle that he was chasing. Just before the conclusion of the matter, he collided for a second time with the rear, pushing it out into Edge Lane before deliberately driving into the rear on a third occasion."
Ramming Leads to Collision with Wall
The car was pushed into a wall near furniture store Patsy's Place, with the driver having fled his vehicle seconds beforehand and run away along Edge Lane. Karimi was subsequently arrested at the scene and told police that the other man had been ahead of him at a junction but suspected that he had been using his mobile phone.
With both having apparently missed a green light as a result, the taxi driver said he was "annoyed" and "beeped his horn", leading to the altercation. He added that he "wanted to sort things out like a man" but "didn't intend to fight", having apparently "wanted to catch the other male" during the subsequent road chase so he "didn't get away with hitting him".
Defence and Mitigation
Karimi, who has no previous convictions, denied that he had intended to ram the other car on the second occasion, claiming he had lost control of his brakes, but said he "regretted his behaviour". He described his behaviour as "classless, uneducated and very stupid".
Matthew Cullen, defending Karimi, told the court: "It was this defendant who flagged down the police in order to alert them of everything that had taken place prior. There is clear remorse. There is, to an extent, him existing as a primary carer for dependant relatives."
Cullen added: "He is not an individual who went out this day intending to commit any sort of criminal offence. The evidence is from his own dashcam footage. It shows that this was an irrational, last minute, panic driven decision which is out of character."
Sentence and Driving Ban
Karimi admitted one count of dangerous driving, with an earlier charge of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm ultimately being dropped by the prosecution. He was handed a 12-month imprisonment suspended for a year with 100 hours of unpaid work and a 12-month probation requirement.
Judge Stuart Driver KC labelled Karimi's driving as "disgraceful" and said: "I believe you deserve to go to prison for this, but there are no exceptional circumstances. Therefore, legislation means that the sentence must be suspended."
Referencing measures brought in under the Sentencing Act 2026 in March this year, meaning that sentences of 12 months or less must be suspended in all but exceptional circumstances, Judge Driver said: "For 12 months, you must stay out of trouble and do what the Probation Service say. If you fail, you will be brought back here, have no doubt. If I see you again, you will go immediately to prison."
Karimi was also banned from driving for 30 months and will be required to pass an extended retest before being allowed back behind the wheel.
