Dudley driver jailed after high-speed chase

A police dog handler spotted Kasim Ajmal at the wheel of a stolen Vauxhall Astra travelling too fast at Clows Top in Worcestershire in the early hours of March 22 last year, a judge heard.

The officer - who had two dogs with him - gave chase as the 23-year-old consistently broke the speed limit while heading towards the West Midlands, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

The Astra went the wrong way round a traffic island along the Bewdley by-pass while other police vehicles joined the pursuit.

The car then accelerated up to 70 in a 30mph limit and ignored a red light - the fourth Ajmal had driven through - as it neared Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley, revealed Mr Ian Ball, prosecuting.

The car went down the wrong side of the carriageway for a short distance on the approach to the town centre near King Street before driving across a grass bank to get out of a dead end.

The three occupants jumped out of the car - that had been stolen five months earlier - before it came to a standstill in Oliver Street, continued Mr Ball.

Ajmal was recognised as the driver of the Astra when seen walking down nearby Cromwell Street. Forensic checks discovered his DNA on a water bottle found in the abandoned Astra. He also tested positive for cannabis and cocaine, the court heard.

Miss Seamran Sidhu, defending, conceded: "It was very lucky nobody was hurt."

She said the defendant had 'lost his way' after being involved in a serious accident five years ago.

Ajmal from Watson Green Road, Kates Hill, Dudley pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving while disqualified and was sent to prison for a year.

Recorder Greg Kelly told him: "You drove so dangerously for so long, putting other people at significant risk while you were under the influence of cocaine and cannabis."