First date police car pile-up driver detained

A personal trainer who caused a pile-up of police cars after fleeing from them while driving home from a first date has been sentenced to 14 months in a young offenders institution.

Seven officers were injured and five police cars damaged in the crash caused by 20-year-old Mazyar Azarbonyad.

It happened on the A1 near Denton Burn, Newcastle, at about 02:30 BST on 9 April.

Azarbonyad, from Stanley in County Durham, previously admitted dangerous driving and driving again in the days after the crash despite being given an interim ban.

With the woman he was on a date with in the passenger seat, he turned on to the A1 and reached speeds of up to 120 mph before the huge crash near the Denton roundabout.

Newcastle Crown Court heard she had pleaded with him to stop, fearing he would kill someone.

The woman, in her 20s, is currently on bail pending further inquiries into the suspected possession of Class A and B drugs.

The court previously heard how Azarbonyad sped away from officers who tried to stop him in Swalwell, Gateshead, after they noticed a defective rear light on his BMW.

Following a pursuit, he hit his brakes and came to an emergency stop, going from 119 mph to a standstill in a matter of metres.

At the time he only had a provisional driving licence, had no car insurance and had paid for three driving lessons.

Alongside the dangerous driving charge, Azarbonyad pleaded guilty to two counts of failing to stop a motor vehicle when required, six counts of no insurance and six further motoring offences.

The court was told he already had eight points on his licence from two previous convictions in September 2023.

Sentencing, Judge Tim Gittins told him "you made a deliberate decision to make off" and "it is nothing short of a miracle" there were not multiple fatalities.

Azarbonyad was also banned from driving for three years.