Jail for Pendle driver who rammed police car (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Jail for Pendle driver who rammed police car

8:00pm Monday 29th October 2012 in News By Wendy Barlow, Court reporter

A DRIVER who sparked two high-speed police chases and rammed a patrol car with officers inside, has been jailed for nine months.

Ismaeel Hussain, 27, deliberately reversed into the side of the officers’ car in Percy Street, Nelson.

The collision enabled him to get away and he sped off through a residential area. Hussain also damaged another vehicle in the incident on April 17, before abandoning his car in a side street, Burnley Crown Court heard.

The hearing was told how Hussain was bailed and just three months later was involved in another pursuit, although he owned up as he did not realise the police wanted him to stop.

The defendant drove badly over about five miles between Colne and Nelson, failed to stop at junctions, overtook eight cars waiting at a red traffic light and forced oncoming vehicles to take evasive action to avoid a crash.

Jobless Hussain, of Beaufort Street, Nelson, had been convicted by a jury of dangerous driving after the April incident, but still denied it. He had admitted the second count of dangerous driving on July 9, at Pennine Magistrates Court and had been committed for sentence. He was banned for 12 months and must take an extended retest.

Joe Boyd, prosecuting, said in the second offence, Hussain had been in a Ford Mondeo and police were called in relation to reports of somebody being bundled into the vehicle. Officers saw the car, put on their emergency lights to try to get the defendant to stop, did a U-turn and followed it.

Hussain accelerated away and entered a roundabout at about 60mph, causing an Audi to swerve towards the kerb. The defendant continued at high speed, despite the police car having its lights and sirens activated.

After overtaking the eight vehicles, he went onto Barrowford Road, Nelson, and emerged where police officers were waiting and was stopped. He was arrested and claimed he saw the police van put on its lights and sirens but thought it was for somebody else. The defendant accepted he had been driving dangerously.

Judge Andrew Woolman said: “I don't think you realise that in particular the first incident, ramming a police car deliberately, is a serious matter and, in my view, I cannot avoid an immediate sentence of imprisonment.”