(Image: West Yorkshire Police)
A DRIVER who could have killed four men during a shocking incident outside a Bradford casino has been jailed for nearly four years.
A court heard today how Nadeem Khan, 49, was behind the wheel of his friend’s Nissan Juke when he drove the vehicle onto the pavement at speed outside Napoleon’s Casino on Bolton Road.
What happened?
Bradford Crown Court was told that Khan, who had previously been banned from the casino, had been involved in an altercation outside with two men after he had been ushered out by a couple of security staff.
But Judge Sophie McKone told Khan: ”Whatever happened before your offending is absolutely no excuse for what you did.”
She said Khan had driven away before returning to the scene and driving at speed in the direction of the four men.
“You mounted the pavement. You crashed through bollards and it was clearly your intention to cause those four men really serious harm.
“At the time none of the men posed any sort of risk to you.
"Whatever had happened has finished.
"You could have got in your car and driven away, but you made a decision to do that.”
Napoleon's Casino
(Image: T&A)
Khan found asleep in property
Fortunately none of the men were struck by the Juke which left a trail of damage on the street following the incident in May.
The damaged car was later found abandoned in Forster Square and Khan was arrested after being found asleep at a property on Burnett Place, Bradford.
Khan, of no fixed abode, was originally charged with four offences of attempted murder, but at an earlier court hearing he admitted four alternative charges of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm with intent and an allegation of dangerous driving.
On Monday, he was jailed for 47 months and banned from driving for four years and eleven months.
He must also taken an extended re-test before being allowed to drive lawfully on the roads again.
A 'hard-working, caring and industrious individual'
Barrister Allan Armbrister, for Khan, said the defendant been affected by what appeared to have been an assault on him and his actions were completely out of character.
“He certainly wasn’t thinking straight,” he added.
“He is a hard-working, caring and industrious individual and one hopes when this sentence is served that’s what he will return to.”
'You could have killed those men'
Judge McKone said the two members of the public had described how they had been affected by the incident and she noted that the two security staff had been performing a public function that night.
“It could have been a whole lot worse,” said the judge.
She said what Khan had done was highly dangerous and added: ”You could have killed those men.
“You used a weapon to try and cause injury to those men and that weapon was a car driven at speed and so it was a highly dangerous weapon.”