Bolton: Danger driver caused 3 car crash on Manchester Road

Mohammed Raja, a then 21-year-old student, had been driving a Vauxhall Insignia along Manchester Road, Over Hulton on the afternoon of Saturday May 20 this year.

Bolton Crown Court heard how just after 3.10pm that day police on patrol ran his car registration through the Police National Computer and found he was not insured to drive it.

Prosecutor Mark Pritchard said: “The defendant turned in his vehicle and made off.”

He added: “This is at a time when traffic volume had increased.”

A driving instructor's car had to be written off (Image: Public)

Only a few months before, Raja had been caught driving over the legal limit for cannabis after being pulled over on December 7.

Raja, now 22, reached speeds of up to 70mph in a 30mph zone in a bid to escape the pursuing police car, eventually reaching speeds of up to 100mph.

Mr Pritchard said: “At this point, the defendant began overtaking vehicles on the wrong side of the carriageway.”

But the chase came to an end when Raja smashed into other drivers and tried to escape on foot only to be arrested soon after.

Mr Pritchard said: “After he was arrested, he stated ‘I’m not legit on the car, the car was insured but I’m not, I panicked.’”

The crash happened on Manchester Road (Image: Public)

He told the court how three other cars were damaged by the crash, all of which had to be written off, while an eight-month-old baby had to be taken to hospital after being covered in broken glass.

A statement from the baby’s father read by Mr Pritchard said: “I was really concerned for my son as he was covered in broken glass and the doctor said he could easily have swallowed some glass.”

Fortunately, the baby was taken to hospital where doctors found he had not done so.

Another person caught in the crash, a driving instructor, had to have broken glass removed from her eye and needed psysiotherapy.

Mr Pritchard said that she was now thinking about giving up her role as a result.

Raja, of Central Avenue in Farnworth, pleaded guilty to driving while over the legal limit for cannabis for the December 7 offence and dangerous driving and driving without insurance on May 20.

Martin Pizzey, defending, told the court that nothing could change the events of that day but that Raja had another side to his character.

He said: “He had impulsively reacted to panic.”

He added: “He was going to insure it later, he never got round to it, it is a common story.”

Mr Pizzey accepted that “it is only by the grace of God perhaps that no one was seriously injured or even killed” but he said that the events had “been on his conscience” ever since.

He said: “It is a matter which is described as keeping him up at night.”

Mr Pizzey pointed to several positive character references in Raja’s favour, to his work as a student and described him as a “young man with great potential.”

Recorder Paul Hodgkinson accepted that Raja, who has no previous convictions, had earned credit by pleading guilty.

But he reminded the 22-year-old of the danger he had put other people in.

Recorder Hodgkinson said: “It is a very busy road and there are people and children walking up that road all the time.”

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He reminded the court of the baby covered in glass and the driving instructor considering giving up her career.

Recorder Hodgkinson said: “Such are the consequences of the actions you chose to take in that day.”

He sentenced Raja to 10 months in prison, suspended for 18 months and ordered him to complete 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days with 180 hours on unpaid work.

Before Raja left, Recorder Hodgkinson told him: “It is time for you to think of others.”