Man jailed after injuring officers in crash

A man has been jailed for almost two years after he deliberately drove at a police car, leaving two officers injured.

Bilal Dawlatzai, 25, drove his blue Vauxhall Astra directly at the marked police car in a bid to get away on the evening of 20 April.

The traffic officers had signalled for him to stop at the Herlington Centre, in Orton Malborne, Peterborough, after information suggested Dawlatzai was a disqualified driver with a history of dangerous driving.

The collision left the two officers with minor neck, shoulder, and back injuries.

Dawlatzai, of no fixed address, was arrested and appeared at Huntingdon Law Courts on Wednesday (3 June), where he admitted to dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, disqualified driving, criminal damage, two counts of assault of emergency worker, and failing to provide comply with a roadside drink/drug test.

He was sentenced to 20 months in prison and handed a 52-month driving ban.

Detective Constable Joshua Crown, who investigated, said: “This was a great example of teamwork between officers and CCTV operators to locate and coordinate the stop on Dawlatzai.

“I would like to commend the officers who put themselves at risk to stop Dawlatzai – it may be seen as just doing their job, but no one should have to suffer injury in the workplace.”