Jail for drug dealer who brought terror to taxi office

Burnley Crown Court was told Mohammed Alom (24) had been aggressive and shouting threats at the rank in Burnley on September 20th.

He then drove off in a cab and dumped it, but returned the keys.

On the same day, he launched a completely unprovoked attack on a man in the street, hitting him repeatedly in the face, breaking a tooth,

The hearing was told two weeks before, in the early hours Alom, who had been banned from driving three months previously and has a record for flouting the laws of the road, was spotted parked in the middle of the road.

A police officer tried to take the car keys, but the defendant drove off and a chase followed

Alom, of Reedley Road, Burnley, admitted taking a vehicle without consent, affray and assault, on September 20th and dangerous driving and driving while disqualified on September 6th. He was jailed for 21 months, banned for 22 months and was ordered to take an extended re-test.

Stephen Parker (prosecuting) said a car was spotted in the middle of the road and an officer, knowing Alom was banned and believing he was about to drive off, tried to grab the keys.

He had to jump out of the way as it moved off and went the wrong way down Brick Street.

The prosecutor said the defendant went through a No Entry, contravening a local one way system and came back round Brick Street.

A taxi was partly blocking the path of his vehicle and Alom rammed it, trying to get it out of the way.

Mr Parker said: “The taxi was damaged and began to leak fluid. The defendant drove off at speed. His vehicle was found abandoned a short time later.

“When he was arrested on September 23rd and interviewed in relation to all matters, he denied all the allegations that were put to him.”

The hearing was told the defendant had 41 offences on his record, including three convictions for disqualified driving and one for dangerous driving.

He had served 40 months in 2013 for possessing heroin with intent to supply.

Mark Stuart, for Alom, said: “The defendant is still acting in an anti-social manner and sooner or later he needs to sort himself out. By and large the main thing he needs to do is stop getting behind the wheel of a car.”

Mr Stuart said the defendant had been behaving a “ little oddly” on the day of the taxi office offences.

The barrister, referring to the driving offences, told the court: “He panicked and drove away, driving a relatively short distance.”

He said Alom did not deliberately hit the taxi.

“He was trying to get away and trying to get in the gap. Nobody was actually injured.”