Jail for driver who denied risk
He claimed he could prove he wasn’t speeding
A driver who sped past police in Scarborough tried to wriggle out of a sentence by claiming he wasn’t driving dangerously.
A motorist who sped past a police car in Scarborough tried to wriggle out of a jail sentence by claiming he had dashcam footage proving he wasn’t driving dangerously. Imram Butt’s audacious get-outof-jail attempt collapsed in the face of incontrovertible CCTV evidence which showed him tearing through the streets of Scarborough at speeds of up to 70mph.
He shot through red lights and drove on the wrong side of the road as he zoomed past a police vehicle after ignoring ‘keep-left’ bollards, York Crown Court heard.
Prosecutor Nicholas Rooke said Butt’s silver Audi A4 sped down the right-hand carriageway at a ‘left-only’ section of Falsgrave Road.
It shot past the police car then crossed back onto the lefthand carriageway, right in front of the officer, before bombing down Seamer Road way over the 30mph speed limit.
The police car reached speeds of up to 70mph but still couldn’t keep up with the Audi, which shot through red lights and sped away, overtaking anofficers other vehicle after going the wrong way around bollards.
The 30-year-old’s driving was so dangerous the pursuing officer abandoned the chase and radioed to his colleagues.
Another traffic officer gave chase further along the Seamer bypass, pursuing the Audi into Sherburn, where another officer laid a stinger on the road which brought the car to a halt.
Butt, whose friend was in the front passenger seat, was arrested and questioned. He told
Butt was jailed for 12 months
Judge Paul Batty QC questioned what Butt was doing in a £15,000 Audi in Scarborough in the dead of night.
He said Butt’s “very belligerent” attitude to police when asked why the car was not registered under his name raised further suspicions.
He rubbished Butt’s claim that he was only “out for a ride”, adding: “Whatever you were (doing) that night, you wanted to hide from the police.”
Jailing Butt for 12 months, Mr Batty cited the “extremely-dangerous” nature of the driving and the defendant’s criminal record. Butt was also given a two-year driving ban. he had dashcam footage from his car which would prove his innocence, but failed to produce any such evidence.
He also claimed he had a tracking device which would prove he never exceeded the speed limit or jumped red lights during the 10-mile chase in the early hours of October 22, 2017. However, he later admitted dangerous driving after he was shown police video footage.
Mr Rooke said Butt was heading to Leeds along the A64 when he was arrested at about 2.30am. The married fatherof-one claimed he was “out for a drive” and claimed he didn’t stop for police because they may have suspected the Audi was stolen, which it was not.
Butt’s solicitor advocate said he had “panicked” on seeing police, but could give no reason why he sped off. He had a valid licence and the car was insured, although it was registered under someone else’s name.
Butt, of Middleton Crescent, Leeds, had eight previous convictions including three for driving while disqualified and others for driving without insurance, fraud and committing offences while on bail.
He had worked as a heating engineer for Leeds City Council and latterly for a private company, but handed in his notice after his arrest.