Two forces chase drink-driver at 120mph on the M1
A DRINK-DRIVER who took officers on a 120mph case and rammed a police car has been disqualified from driving for five years and five months.
Specially trained officers were called in to assist after a man was spotted driving erratically at 120mph near the Watchorn Island in Derbyshire. The driver – Asam Hussain – refused to pull over and drove off at high speed along the A38.
He then took a swift exit onto the B600 and raced through Somercotes and into Nottinghamshire, hurtling through Selston and Underwood at speed before joining the northbound M1 at junction 27.
More units from Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire joined the chase and attempted to box the car in as a long pursuit ensued crossing county boundaries, travelling at high speeds and taking officers through small villages.
The pursuit was brought to a halt after Hussain crashed into a wall in Mansfield.
He then reversed into a police armed response vehicle – causing nearly £4,000 of damage to the car. No officers were injured.
Hussain was arrested at the scene and provided a positive roadside breath test following the pursuit, which started at around 1.50am on December 14 2020.
The dramatic incident will be featured on the November 17 episode of Police Interceptors.
Armed Response Sergeant James Carrington, of Nottinghamshire Police, helped to manage the tactical pursuit as it headed into Nottinghamshire and beyond.
He said: “We first got involved after our Derbyshire roads policing colleagues shouted up on the regional channel we use whenever support needed.
“As we had specially trained tactical pursuit officers available, we picked up the information, deployed a team who could help and we all swiftly dropped in behind as the pursuit headed onto the M1 and into Nottinghamshire.
“We had heard that the driver was taking some significant risks and so it was really important to be on the car’s tail as soon as we could. Our priority is always to keep the public and other road users safe, and as such we needed to stop it as soon as we could.
“I was directing as Chalkey – PC Darren Chalk – drove. After going through Selston and Underwood, we then headed back up the M1, out of Nottinghamshire, and we followed the car off at Junction 29. This took us west into Derbyshire and on to some really dark, rural roads, which were unfamiliar to us.
“The risks he’d taken were already dangerous, but as we went down these roads he then proceeded to switch his lights off.
“Fortunately, we very often work with neighbouring forces when pursuits take us out of our area. The officers we work with during a cross-border pursuit have the same skills as us, so we were really able to come together as one big team to relay information, commentate on how the pursuit was progressing and ultimately not lose sight of the car.
“I think it’s fair to say his time and luck ran out as he headed back up the A38 and into Mansfield. He flew past the courts and the shopping centre and lost control, going into a wall. At that point we were right behind him – when there’s a big team of us it makes it very difficult for them to get away.
“He didn’t give up though. He tried his best to get out of the box we had created once this crash had happened, ramming one of our cars in the process. We do see this happen quite a lot when someone being pursued is absolutely desperate to get away, but ultimately he had damaged his car and these attempts were no match for the teams on the ground, leading to him being arrested.”
In custody, Asam Hussain, 28, of nofixed address, blew a reading of 76 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, exceeding the legal limit of 35. Hussain was also found to be disqualified from driving and was eventually charged with dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance, failing to stop for police and drink-driving.
He appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday January 26, 2021, where he pleaded guilty to all charges. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison and disqualified from driving for five years and five months.
Inspector Greg Hunt, who leads the roads policing team in Derbyshire, said: “That nobody was killed or seriously hurt as a result of Hussain’s actions is simply pure luck.
“Drunk and disqualified, he put the lives of every other person on the road at risk with his actions that night – along with the officers who eventually brought him to justice.
“This case goes to show the fantastic cross-border work with our colleagues in Nottinghamshire and I hope sends the message that we don’t simply stop when you cross over into any of our neighbouring forces. If anything, you are just doubling your problems.”