Jail for dangerous driver who caused high-speed collision

A dangerous driver has been jailed and banned from the roads after seriously injuring three people.

Muhammad Asim was travelling at speed when he ignored a red traffic light signal outside the Nottingham Trent University site in Clifton.

That decision led to immediate consequences when the BMW Asim was driving then ploughed into the side of another vehicle.

The unsuspecting Ford Fiesta was turning off the A453 into College Drive when the collision happened, around 1.40am on 20 September 2024.

Moments before, a camera positioned around 150m away captured the BMW travelling at more than double the 40mph speed limit.

Both cars were sent spinning along the road in the resulting collision, near the entrance to the university’s Clifton campus.

Three of the occupants from both vehicles were left with serious injuries because of Asim – who himself ran from the scene without helping.

One of his passengers – a woman in her 40s – sustained a severe brain injury and multiple fractures.

She continues to receive rehabilitative treatment to this day.

In terms of the Fiesta, the driver and a passenger – a man and a woman aged 18 at the time – received multiple serious injuries.

Both sustained several fractures, including to their spines, as well as other internal injuries.

Asim, meanwhile, managed to flee with minor injuries, with police finding and arresting him over an hour later.

He was found to be over the alcohol limit at the time.

In the months that followed, investigators from Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit built up a case against Asim.

The evidence they’d gathered prompted him to admit to three counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving during a court appearance last November.

Asim, 20, of Constance Street, New Basford, returned to Nottingham Crown Court to be sentenced on Friday (30 January).

He was jailed for three years and nine months. Once released, he will be disqualified from driving for five years and must then pass an extended retest.

Detective Constable Liah Lane, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“Three people were left seriously injured as a direct result of Asim’s actions in the early hours of that morning.

“Whatever his motivations for travelling at the speed he did, his decision-making behind the wheel caused immense damage.

“The injuries inflicted during this collision should serve as a sobering reminder of the consequences of dangerous driving and the threat this can pose to all road users.

“Even after doing what he did, Asim compounded things further by fleeing from the scene on foot, without helping the numerous people who were obviously injured.

“I’m pleased to say his actions ultimately caught up with him soon after, however, and that he’s now received a custodial sentence.

“I’d like to thank the victims and their families for the patience they’ve shown throughout these court proceedings, and hope this result provides them with a degree of comfort.”