Police stinger used to burst tyres of Leeds teen dealer who tried to escape
Judge said it was “sheer fortune” that nobody was hurt in high-speed chase
A teenage drug dealer tried to outrun police in a hire car even after a stinger was used to burst its tyres.
Hamza Hussain was carrying more than £1,600 worth of heroin when he was finally brought to a stop.
The 18-year-old was jailed at Leeds Crown Court.
The VW Passat was spotted on Easterly Road in Harehills at around 3pm on August 13, with police suspecting it was linked to drug dealing.
The car took off at speed, pursued by the police. It overtook cars, veered onto the wrong side of the road, mounted the pavements and reached speeds up to 50mph in 30mph zones.
After the stinger was deployed to burst the tyres, Hussain eventually collided with two vehicles and was forced to stop, prosecutor Jessica Lister told the court.
The unidentified passenger fled the scene but Hussain was detained.
They found £622 in cash on him and 165 wraps of heroin in the driver’s side, worth £1,650.
Hussain, of Harlech Road, Beeston, gave a no-comment interview to police.
Appearing in court over a video link from HMP Doncaster, he admitted dealing in Class A drugs and dangerous driving.
Mitigating, Mark Foley said Hussain had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
He said it was “out of character” and there had been “an element of peer pressure” and had been recruited because he could hire vehicles and was therefore “useful”.
Mr Foley said Hussain simply panicked when the police tried to stop him.
He added that his family were supportive but “devastated”.
Judge Simon Phillips KC told him: “You persisted in driving in a concerted effort to outrun the police.
“It was sheer fortune that nobody was hurt.”
He jailed him for 40 months and gave him a 56-month driving ban.