Driver jailed over ‘traumatic' crash that wrecked five police cars
A motorist has been jailed for causing a pile-up on the A1 that wrecked five police cars and left seven officers needing hospital treatment.
Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving following the crash, which happened just west of Newcastle in the early hours of April 9.
Sentencing him to 14 months' detention on Monday, Judge Tim Gittins said: 'It is nothing short of a miracle that no one was more seriously injured or that there were not multiple fatalities.'
One officer suffered soft tissue damage to her knee and nerve damage to her back, while another needed stitches for a cut to his forehead, police said.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Azarbonyad, who arrived in the UK after fleeing Iran when he was 14, was driving a female passenger home in a BMW X5 when he was spotted by police driving over the speed limit and with defective rear lights.
The court heard he had bought the vehicle on finance despite only having a provisional driving licence and no insurance. He later admitted to officers he had previously paid for only three driving lessons.
After being pulled over, an officer approached his vehicle on foot – but Azarbonyad said 'nah' and made off at speed, the court heard.
Penny Hall, defending, said Azarbonyad 'panicked' after his passenger said she had drugs on her.
However, Judge Gittins said: 'Whether or not you were made aware of the small amount of cannabis in her possession, I am satisfied you made a deliberate decision to make off substantially because of your unlawful driving position.'
Azarbonyad was spotted by police again about 30 minutes later and failed to stop for a second time, nearly losing control on a bend and hitting a kerb as he accelerated onto the A1, where the judge said his speed reached a 'hair-raising level' at more than 120mph.
When police vehicles moved in to contain the BMW, Azarbonyad braked suddenly in the middle of the four-lane carriageway, going from 119 mph to 0mph in an emergency stop and causing the multiple-vehicle pile-up, the court heard.
Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said: 'A number of these officers were trapped in vehicles. There were liquids involved, thankfully not petrol.
'A number of officers were rendered unconscious. It was clearly a very traumatic incident.'
When Azarbonyad was interviewed he described his driving as 's---', but did not accept he had braked harshly and said the police chasing him were travelling too fast, Mr Perks told the court.
Judge Gittins said the defendant, from Stanley in County Durham, would also be disqualified from driving for three years and seven months.
No separate penalty was given for two offences of failing to stop for police and charges of driving without a licence or insurance, which Azarbonyad also pleaded guilty to.
Supt Billy Mulligan, of Northumbria Police, said four of the seven officers who were injured in the crash remained off work.
He said: 'It is sheer luck that Mazyar Azarbonyad did not kill anyone that day with his reckless actions.'
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