02-06-2025
Personal trainer on first date jailed for causing pile-up that injured seven cop
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A novice driver who caused a 'catastrophic' crash on the A1 near Newcastle has been given 14 months' detention.
Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, caused a huge crash on the A1 when he suddenly braked at 120mph, which left seven police officers injured, while taking a woman home from their first date.
The personal trainer sped away in his powerful BMW SUV after cops spotted him driving over the speed limit and with defective rear lights in the early hours of April 9.
Police cars were left mangled on the dual carriageway when the officers chased Mazyar down the road.
One officer was left with nerve damage to her back and soft tissue damage to her knee, while another officer needed stitches on his forehead after a cut.
Mazyar had bought the car on finance although he only had a provisional licence, no insurance, and he later admitted having paid for only three driving lessons.
It was a 'miracle' that no one died or was injured more seriously, Judge Tim Gittins said during sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court today.
Mazyar, who moved to the UK after fleeing Iran when he was 14, was given 14 months' detention in a young offenders' institution.
The judge said: 'You should have been nowhere near the driving seat of any vehicle that night, let alone one such as a BMW X5, a large and powerful SUV.
'It is nothing short of a miracle that no one was more seriously injured or that there were not multiple fatalities.'
Mazyar was driving his date, Courtney Redfern, home in the SUV after the pair's first date.
To make matters worse, the personal trainer was back behind the wheel just two days after the crash as he drove to get to work at a gym in Newcastle on April 11, 12 and 13.
He had been stopped for driving without a licence and insurance in 2023.
He admitted several driving offences, including driving without insurance multiple times, even after the crash and failing to stop.
On the night of the horrific crash, he had first pulled over, but when an officer approached on foot, he said 'nah' and sped away, his passenger, Courtney, said.
The driver's defence said that Mazyar had claimed Courtney told him she had drugs on her and he 'panicked.'
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.' More Trending
Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, said Courtney told him to stop several times and she thought he 'could have killed someone.'
He was going at 119mph when he suddenly braked harshly in the middle of the carriageway, causing the pursuing officers to crash, the court heard.
The prosecutor 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.'
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