Dad’s smug ‘you know the game, officer’ backfires in spectacular fashion

A Bradford dad is beginning a jail sentence totalling more than six years after he was involved in Class A drug dealing and yet another incident of dangerous driving.

Basit Ali Khan’s drugs offending took place more than two years ago, but his latest driving offence, which involved a police chase at speeds up to 90mph in a 30mph zone, was committed in July last year.

Jailing Khan on Friday at Bradford Crown Court for a total of 78 months Recorder Ayesha Smart highlighted his three convictions for dangerous driving and nine previous offences of driving while disqualified.

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Recorder Smart said 27-year-old Khan, of Pemberton Drive, Bradford, also had a previous for conviction for offences involving crack cocaine and heroin. Back in November 2021 Khan and his co-accused Mohammed Idrees, 26, were stopped by police in a VW Passat which was found to contain about £290 of drugs cash and a claw hammer.

Mobile phones linked to the two defendants revealed that they had been involved in the of supply Class A drugs through a drugs line.

The court heard that although the drugs offending dated back to between February 2020 and November 2021 the two men had not been charged with any offences until late 2023. In August last year Idrees, of Moore Avenue, Wibsey, had been jailed for 78 months for separate Class A drugs offences.

Dad-of-two Khan, who is married and had been working as in a taxi firm’s office, pleaded guilty to offences of dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance and possessing cannabis with intent to supply. He was also found guilty by a jury of being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin, possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal cash.

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Idrees pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin and possession of the claw hammer as an offensive weapon.

Because Idrees is already serving his 78-month sentence for similar drugs offending Recorder Smart had to decide what his total sentence would have been if all his offending back had been dealt with together back in August last year. She told Idrees that his sentence would be increased by 12 months meaning he would have to serve an additional six months behind bars before he could be released.

Solicitor advocate Andrew Walker, for Khan, said the dangerous driving offence, which involved a police pursuit near Bradford city centre at about 5.30am, occurred when there was very little traffic or pedestrians around. The court heard that after Khan was detained he claimed he had been a back seat passenger in the Audi A4 and boasted: ”You know the game, officer. I’ve got away with two of these before.”

Recorder Smart was shown police dashcam footage of the pursuit which showed Khan driving through multiple red lights and across a mini-roundabout before abandoning the Audi and trying to run off. Mr Walker said the phone messages relating to the drugs offences indicated that his client was being “ordered about” by others and doing menial tasks for some financial reward.

He submitted that the offending was almost three years ago now and his client had committed not further driving offences since last July.

Recorder Smart said there had been “a significant delay” relating to the drugs offences getting to court and she had reduced the sentences to take account of that. She said Khan would be disqualified from driving again for a total of 87 months and warned him that he would have to pass an extended driving test before getting a licence.