Man sentenced for dangerous driving – Oxford

Following a Thames Valley Police investigation, a man has been sentenced for dangerous driving in Oxford.

Kaseem Ashraf, aged 25, of Fernhill Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty to one count each of dangerous driving and failing to provide a blood specimen for analysis at Oxford Magistrates Court on 25 April.

Returning to Oxford Crown Court on Thursday (7/9), Ashraf was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment suspended for a year and six months, was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving license for three years, was ordered to complete a six month residential drug rehabilitation course and a six month mental health treatment requirement.

At around 2am on 28 September last year, Ashraf was in his parked BMW i8 on Park End Street. Ashraf slowly started to drive down the street, playing loud music.

The victims, two men, climbed on-top of Ashraf’s car. Ashraf continues to slowly drive down the street, flashing his car lights at oncoming vehicles and pedestrians.

Once past the pedestrians and other vehicles, the BMW is seen to accelerate hard. This method of acceleration can be seen to cause the dihedral door to drop down and the two victims on the roof to fall from the BMW.

The BMW does not stop but continues to drive off and turn into the Worcester Street car park.

One of the victims from the roof was knocked out immediately and remained unconscious for around half an hour. The second victim was seen to get up and go into Worcester Street car park where he was later found unconscious.

The BMW i8 was sighted by officers at speed travelling away from the town centre along Henley Avenue by a roads policing vehicle that identified it and tried to catch up with it in an attempt to stop it.

The driver was removed from the BMW and arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and failing to stop for police.

Ashraf was later placed on a preliminary drugs wipe and breath test device. The breath test was a pass indicating below the drink drive limit but he failed the drugs swipe that indicated positive for cannabis.

Ashraf was further arrested for driving a motor vehicle on a road whilst over the specified limit of a specified drug. He was transported to Abingdon police station where he was formally required to provide an evidential sample of blood for analysis in line with the Road Traffic Act. 

Ashraf refused to provide a sample. He was given the statutory warning regarding failure to provide and he continued to refuse to provide a sample.

Ashraf was arrested on 28 September 2022 and was charged on 23 March this year.

Investigation officer PC Brian Perry, of the Joint Roads Policing Unit, said: “Ashraf displayed a complete disregard for the safety of others in the way that he drove dangerously in a heavily populated area of the city centre.

“He then went on to show the same level of regard for the investigation when he refused to provide an evidential drug drive specimen.

“Thames Valley Police will not tolerate dangerous driving and will be persistent in seeking convictions for those that offend.”

AP