7 days ago
Driver, 21, admits causing serious injury after crashing stolen BMW into a care home during police chase
A driver has admitted to causing serious injury after crashing stolen BMW into a care home.
Sam Asgari-Tabar was fleeing from police at the time of the crash, speeding down the A1231 eastbound in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, at around 9.35pm on Wednesday July 9.
But moments later the blue car, which had allegedly been stolen from the Fenham area of Newcastle 15 minutes earlier, collided with the Highcliffe Care Home on Whitchurch Road.
Eight people were taken to hospital and tragically two more women in their 90s and 80s died the following day.
Ashari-Tabar appeared before Newcastle Crown Court where he admitted robbery, relating to stealing a BMW 3-series, and causing serious injury by dangerous driving to a resident who suffered spinal fractures.
He denied a charge of kidnapping a woman who was in the BMW which he was test driving.
The Crown Prosecution Service asked the court for more time to consider whether those pleas were acceptable.
Co-accused Ryan Parish, 21, of Fordham Road, Sunderland, did not enter pleas to charges of robbery and kidnap, also relating to the BMW and the test drive.
Northumbria Police were alerted to reports of a stolen car in Fenham, Newcastle, on the evening of July 10 and a suspect vehicle was spotted in the Sunderland area 15 minutes later.
A pursuit then followed which ended with the BMW crashing into the care home, which provides dementia care to around 60 residents, causing extensive structural damage to the building.
Initially, Northumbria Police said eight residents required hospital treatment.
Two days later, the force said a woman in her 90s and a woman in her 80s, neither of whom were in the eight taken to hospital, had died and police inquiries were ongoing.
The pair will appear again before Newcastle Crown Court on August 19 and Judge Carolyn Scott told Parish he must enter pleas on that occasion.
At the time Chief Superintendent Mark Hall, of Northumbria Police, said: 'This is an extremely sad development and all of our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of everyone affected.
'We will continue to support them in any way that we can at this time.
'Our investigations remain at an early stage, and we would ask people to avoid speculation both online and in the community.'
Following the incident a mandatory referral was been made by Northumbria Police to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
