Yahoo News Leeds man led police on dramatic chase after being caught with ex in McDonald's car park
A Leeds man led police on a dramatic chase after being caught in a McDonald's car park with his ex-partner.
Leeds Crown Court heard on Monday that the woman "begged" Daljit Khosa, of Mistress Lane in Leeds, to stop the dramatic chase through Leeds on April 14 this year. It was said Khosa was the subject of a restraining order at the time, and the woman had only gone to his home to drop off his belongings but he urged her to go inside.
While inside his flat, she said she felt unwell and he then drove her to the fast food outlet.
Prosecutor Thomas Doyle said the woman had given an account of what happened before the chase and said: "It does appear there has been contact since the restraining order was made [January 2023] and that was not wanted [by her].
"She described driving to his because of the property she still had to return. He assured her that if she was to visit he would never contact her again."
The court was told that when the woman arrived at Khosa's property, he got into her car and began to taunt her about a "new boyfriend" before he drove her car up and down the street. Mr Doyle said: "He only stopped when she offered to go in his flat. He showed her around and gave her some juice. She became unwell and vomited on herself and went to the toilet and he continued to taunt her about a new boyfriend.
"Upon her leaving the bathroom, he told her she should get something to eat. Despite her trying to insist, he takes her car keys and says he will take her in the car to get her something and through fear she accepts."
The court heard that it was at the McDonald's in Kirkstall Road that a police constable noted the BMW and went to speak to Khosa, 38. When he was doing that, the woman was heard to say, "just go" before the officer was led on a chase of speeds of up to 70mph in 30mph zones, which finally ended when Khosa lost control and hit a post.
In her account, the woman said she "begged" Khosa to stop and eventually grabbed hold of the steering wheel, causing the car to crash. In her account, the woman said Khosa asked her: "Why the f*** did you do that? I'm going to jail."
Mr Doyle said Khosa had 19 previous convictions for 44 offences including wounding without intent, actual bodily harm, criminal damage, possession of an offensive weapon, aggravated vehicle taking and attempted arson. He was handed a suspended sentence in 2023 for an offence of making threats to kill and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. That was when the restraining order was put in place.
The woman's witness statement was read to the court by Mr Doyle who said: "She said she has been left shaken and said, 'I'm sick of the defendant and his behaviour. I want him out of my life. I separated from him two years ago, I just want him out of my life. I find myself going along with him because I'm scared of what he will do if I don't."
Mitigating, Mike Walsh told the court it "may be considered to be an uphill struggle" to try and persuade Her Honour Judge Penelope Belcher against anything but an immediate custodial sentence. The judge said: "This is a man, who by his conduct, doesn't give a toss about court orders."
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Mr Walsh said: "He's not a young man but isn't a man without personal difficulties. In 2016, he was the subject of a serious assault and got stab wounds to his face and still has scars, which has caused him mental health difficulties for years since that he has wrestled with.
"He turned to alcohol and at one stage was dependent on that. He's moved away from that but still has issues in his life. What he also has is flawed decision making in the extreme and when it comes to relationships and what he does under pressure and this also was a situation where he was under pressure and he says to me, 'If I simply stopped in the car park what was the worst that could happen?' Nothing with the magnitude of today."
As she jailed Khosa for 16 months for driving a vehicle dangerously, driving without insurance and being in breach of a restraining order, Judge Belcher said: "You said, 'I can't stop because I'm going to prison' - that is your attitude to court orders. You gave no concern to court orders and you chose to do exactly as you choose.
"This is a serious breach given the background with how the complainant came to be in that vehicle. The circumstances are that she is frightened of you and co-operated with you with a degree of coercion by you."
Khosa was also disqualified from driving for a period of 20 months, at the end of which he must take an extended driving test.
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