Pizza delivery man jailed for racing from police at 70mph and almost hitting cyclist in Hartlepool

A court was told that Amin Samater raced from police in Hartlepool at 70pm, went through three red lights, travelled on the wrong side of the road and almost hit a cyclist, before smashing into a wall.

Samater, 26, was taken to the University Hospital of North Tees for treatment to his injuries and his Fiat Punto car piled with pizza boxes was a wreck after the head-on crash.

He said he panicked when the police blue-lighted him in West View Road, Hartlepool, because he feared that he was in breach of the Covid regulations because his driving was non-essential travelling.

Five weeks earlier, on Friday, March 6, he had been arrested after crashing a Vauxhall Corsa into a wall in Darlington following another police chase when the officers’ in-car computer picked up that the vehicle was not insured.

Samater was given an interim driving ban after his Hartlepool arrest on Monday, April 13, a judge at Teesside Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Uzmah Khan said that the Punto travelled at 70 miles an hour and through three red traffic lights and on the wrong side of Lancaster Road, narrowly missing a cyclist at 45mph.

Miss Khan said: “He lost control, mounted the kerb, and hit the eight-foot wall head-on.

”He had a number of pizza boxes in the vehicle and he did not have any insurance to cover his work.”

Martin Scarborough, defending, said: “Clearly he put himself and others at risk by the way he was driving.

“He was working as a pizza delivery driver, but he did not have the necessary documentation and crashed into a wall.

”He has had interim disqualification since the 25th of August when he appeared before magistrates.”

Judge Deborah Sherwin told Samater: “These offences are so serious that only a custodial sentence is justified.”

Samater, of Beaumont Road, Middlesbrough, was jailed for 12 months and disqualified for two years and until he passes an extended driving test after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving twice and without insurance.

Support your Mail and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news, the latest on Pools and new puzzles every day. With a digital subscription, you can see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.