Man was caught dealing drugs then drove at 80mph to escape

Faisal Mahmood, 31, was spotted by officers in May 2019 who saw two pedestrians and the driver of an Audi engaging in what they believed to be a drug deal.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Mahmood drove off in his car, swerving around traffic calming measures on Frizinghall Road, and reached speeds of over 80mph in a 30mph zone on Canal Road.

The prosecutor detailed how Mahmood, of Branksome Crescent, Heaton, ran through red lights and through a busy pedestrian crossing.

He then abandoned the car and there was a short pursuit on foot before he was apprehended and arrested.

The court was told he was found to have £960 on him and three mobile phones were recovered too.

Messages on one of the mobile phones named Mahmood and indicated he was offering to supply class A drugs.

There was one set of messages - around 20 minutes before he was spotted by police - asking where he was and how long he would be.

The car that Mahmood was driving that day was his father’s which he had taken without consent, the court heard.

The court was also told that there was a delay in the case and he was later charged with two counts of supplying class A drugs, dangerous driving, and taking a vehicle without consent.

He had also been jailed for class A drug supply in 2013.

Bradford Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

He pleaded guilty to all charges and was due to be sentenced at Bradford Crown Court in January, but failed to attend the hearing, and was eventually arrested after he returned to the country in September.

At the latest hearing, he also pleaded guilty to failing to surrender to court bail.

Judge Kirstie Watson jailed Mahmood for just over three years in total – 39 months – and he was banned from driving for two years.

She said: “I accept that the man I am sentencing today is a very different man to the person who was 26 or 27 at the time of committing these offences.”

In mitigation the court heard how Mahmood had overcome a problem with controlled drugs, which had been his motivation for his involvement in all the offences.

The January court date coincided with a difficult time for him and his wife, as they had suffered a miscarriage.

“Neither one of them felt they could face what was coming – an enforced separation due to a custodial sentence,” Mahmood’s barrister said.