Dangerous high-speed driver who almost caused head-on collision given suspended sentence

AN innocent motorist narrowly escaped a head-on collision when a dangerous driver in a speeding car headed straight for him, a court heard.

Luckily at the last moment Ahmed Rahuma, from Birchwood, Warrington, who was on the wrong side of the road in Liverpool city centre, swerved to the left and just clipped the wing mirror of the other car.

He continued to drive at speed and disappeared but unknown to him his high-speed antics, including going through sets of red traffic lights, had been captured on city centre CCTV and also on the dashcam of an off-duty police officer.

Rahuma, aged 35, of Redshank Lane, Birchwood, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failing to stop after an accident.

Derek Jones, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court today (Mon) how the incident began at about 6.30 am on June 13 last year when the off-duty officer, who was in an unmarked car, was at traffic lights at the junction of Great George Street and Upper Parliament Street in the city centre.
Rahuma pulled up alongside but over the stop line and after a few moments he drove off despite the lights still being on red. He went through another set of red lights and turned right on the wrong side of the road.
As he drove down Upper Parliament Street in his blue Ford Focus the driver of the car he clipped was coming the opposite way planning to turn right onto Grafton Street, said Mr Jones.
“Rahuma drove towards him at speed but then braked quite hard and just managed to avoid a head-on collision but knocked the other car’s wing mirror off and drove off.”
Rahuma, a machine operator, was later traced and charged with the offences which he went on to admit.

Cheryl Mottram, defending, said that the defendant, who has five previous convictions including battery, had been arguing with his friend in the car and “got distracted.”
The judge, Recorder Robert Ward, said, “It is agreed this case involved a deliberate decision to disregard the rules of the road and the risk to others.
“There was damage to the other vehicle albeit thankfully relatively minor.”
He sentenced Rahuma to 12 months imprisonment suspended for 18 months and ordered him to carry out 15 days of rehabilitation activities and 240 hours of unpaid work.
The judge also banned him from driving for 12 months and ordered him to pay £200 prosecution costs.