A man has been jailed for dangerous driving and other offences in Slough.

 

Arfan Bashir, aged 41, of Castle Hill Drive, Manchester, was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison at Reading Magistrates’ Court on June 17.

Bashir was also disqualified from driving for three years and 10 months.

Bashir pleaded guilty to one count each of dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving while disqualified, failing to provide a specimen for analysis, possession of a bladed article in public and handling stolen goods.

At around 12.20pm on June 15, Bashir was driving a stolen Abarth car in Slough but failed to stop for police in Woodland Avenue.

Bashir then drove at speed in a bid to get away as well as driving on the wrong side of the road and going through red lights at busy junctions.

Bashir caused several others cars to take sudden evasive action to avoid a collision.

Bashir thought he had evaded police and got out of the car, but the officer found him, with help from members of the public, who directed them on where the driver had gone.

The officer red dot challenged Bashir with his Taser, ordering him to get on the floor, and arrested him.

It turned out Bashir had a Stanley knife in his possession and was already disqualified from driving; he also failed a roadside drugs wipe.

Bashir was charged later that day.

Investigating officer PC Matthew Ames-White, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit said: “Arfan Bashir drove extremely dangerously around Slough town centre on a Saturday afternoon in a stolen car while over drug-driving limit and without a licence.

“This was an extremely positive result only two days afterwards; the evidence was so overwhelming that Bashir pleaded guilty in his first court appearance.

“I’m extremely happy with the imprisonment and long driving disqualification, keeping law-abiding members of public safer on the roads.

“Thank you to the members of the public who helped me keep track of Bashir and eventually find him once he had stopped.

“Bashir’s driving was reckless and it is fortunate no one was hurt and nothing was damaged as a result, although some other drivers had to take sudden evasive action to avoid a collision.

“We will never allow dangerous driving on our patch to go unpunished so we will always pursue offenders where safe, and bring them to justice.”