Abandoned car points cops to teen drug dealer after 'moment of madness'

A Leeds teenager ventured on a joy ride around the city centre in a "moment of madness" while ignoring red lights, speeding and driving into oncoming traffic.

His offending unfolded back in 2022 when he was laid in bed as police burst into his home and searched for drugs. Officers found cannabis worth £160 in deals at Jahidul Islam's home in Alcester Road, Chapeltown, on October 5, 2022.

The flowering top cannabis was discovered alongside grip-seal bags. Prosecutor Richard Walters told Leeds Crown Court on Monday: "Found in the property were various other things associated with the drugs trade including mobile phones. One was downloaded and messages indicative of drug dealing was found."

£5,196.45 in cash was also discovered. The court heard inside a vehicle outside the address, lighters with phone numbers on were recovered. Mr Walters said: "In the drugs trade these are common to give out as calling cards."

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Islam, 19, was arrested and answered "no comment." The court heard he was handed a conditional discharge last year at York Crown Court in relation to another drugs offence - but he went on to breach this.

Mr Walters said on February 18 this year, at around 6.30am, officers in Leeds city centre saw Islam "pull in front of them sharply" and "decided to speak to him about his manner of driving." Islam then undertook a series of manouvres, including driving through the city centre at speed, through red lights and the wrong way into oncoming traffic.

The car was found abandoned and he handed himself into police two days later, but answered "no comment" in interview. The court was told he went on to plead guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis and dangerous driving.

Mitigating, Dan Lee, told the court a pre-sentence report and three letters - including one from Islam - had been provided. He said in relation to the car searched in respect of the drugs matters that it was not Islam's and the phone found was also not his.

Mr Lee said: "He is now 19 and finds himself before the court in what he describes as a moment of madness in relation to the driving. His best mitigation he knows in both cases are his guilty pleas. He pleaded guilty at the PTPH. In relation to the driving, he tells me he panicked and drove off as he wasn't insured and said it was a spur of the moment decision."

Her Honour Judge Penelope Belcher said: "He said in his letter he was showing off to his friends." Mr Lee added: "In my submission, that shows his immaturity and he has a lot of growing up to do. He tells me that when charged with the offence he couldn't look his dad in the eye, given the shame it has brought upon him."

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The court heard Islam dropped out of school and did not take his exams, but has been working part-time in his uncle's takeaway in York. Mr Lee said: "His job is stable and he has now been in that for a number of years...He knows he has to sort his life out and if you do step back from immediate custody that will give him the opportunity to maximise his potential."

Judge Belcher handed Islam a sentence of 15 month suspended for two years. She told him in relation to the driving offence: "You could have so easily had a head-on collision and that could have killed the occupant of that van, killed yourself and could have killed your mate. The implication of it is extremely serious. You put road users going about their daily business at risk because of your stupidity.

"Showing off to your friend, impressing your friend - how do you think crashing a car, if it happened, would impress them? You could have killed your friend - that's no way of impressing them is it?"

The judge ordered Islam to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days. She told him: "You mess about with these and I will have custody at the forefront of my mind, because if you come before me for breach of this order, I have two options - one is to mark the breach by further matters such as unpaid work and the other is to send you to custody for all or part of that 15 months.

"But immediate custody will be a very real prospect at that time. This is your last chance - your chance to step up and shape up. Carry on and you will be back before this court and you will go to custody."

Islam was also disqualified from driving for 12 months, and will have to take an extended retest before being allowed back on the roads.

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