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BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Birmingham driver told passengers 'to run' before fatal crash
A driver who was being followed by police told his passengers to "jump out of the car and run" moments before he crashed into a tree and suffered fatal injuries, an inquest has Qasim, 29, was captured speaking on an 18-second video taken by back seat passenger Mohammed Ibrahim before the crash on Island Road, Handsworth, in the early hours of 2 October Qasim died in hospital after suffering "catastrophic head injuries".The BMW had been followed by PC Paul Withers, of West Midlands Police, who denied he was in pursuit of the vehicle, which he said had been travelling "easily double" the 30mph speed limit. He told the inquest at Birmingham Coroner's Court that he had been carrying out intelligence checks on the car and did not know if Mr Qasim was aware he was following him because his manner of driving did not change and the officer did not have his blue lights on. But on Friday, Mr Ibrahim said Mr Qasim had been aware of the police car and sped up as he drove "loops" around Island the video, shown to jurors, Mr Qasim could be heard telling his passengers to "jump out of the car and run".Mr Ibrahim could then be heard telling him to "chill", which he said was him trying to tell the driver to slow down, with Mr Qasim telling him to "shut up".Mr Ibrahim, who was severely injured in the crash, said he did not see Mr Qasim drinking alcohol or smoking, but the inquest previously heard the driver had been was one-and-a-half times over the drink-drive limit, had recently smoked cannabis, and was not wearing a said he started filming because he had earlier been stopped and searched. 'Wanted to pull over' Front seat passenger Ria Garcha, picked up by Mr Qasim the previous evening, said the pair had been drinking and he had empty vodka bottles in his car he wanted to get rid said: "When we first saw the police, the boy [Mr Ibrahim] said, 'oh there's the police' and he put his foot down and went faster."I was telling him to slow down, they weren't coming."They were telling me to shut up. I couldn't seen any lights or sirens behind us."A couple of minutes later the boy said the police were there again."Ms Garcha told the inquest Mr Qasim said he "wanted to pull over and run", adding he "told us to be ready".She said he "drove really fast" before crashing into the tree. Independent expert Jonathan Little, Staffordshire Police chief driving instructor, said he had "no criticism" of PC Withers's and Paul Trowman, chief driving instructor for West Midlands Police, agreed the collision, on the balance of probability, would have happened regardless of the officer's agreed the crash was a combination of speed, alcohol and Trowman did not train PC Withers but said that he had initial training in 2009 and refresher training in 2015 and inquest continues. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Driver being followed by police before fatal crash told passengers ‘to run'
A driver who was being followed by police told his passengers to 'jump out the car and run' seconds before he crashed into a tree and suffered fatal injuries, an inquest has heard. Muhammad Qasim, 29, was captured speaking on an 18-second video taken by backseat passenger Mohammed Ibrahim moments before he failed to negotiate a bend in the road on Island Road, Handsworth, in the early hours of October 2 2023, and crashed his BMW into the central reservation. Mr Qasim died in hospital later the same day after suffering a 'catastrophic' head injury. The police officer who was following Mr Qasim's car before the crash has denied he was in a pursuit, saying he was not pursuit-trained and was following the vehicle so intelligence checks could be carried out after he saw the BMW going 'easily double' the 30mph speed limit on Church Lane. PC Paul Withers told an inquest into Mr Qasim's death at Birmingham Coroners Court on Thursday that he did not know if the BMW driver was aware he was following him as he did not have his blue lights on and the manner of Mr Qasim's driving had not changed throughout the interaction. On Friday, Mr Ibrahim, who was severely injured in the crash but survived, told the court that Mr Qasim had been aware the police car was following him and that he had increased his speed as he drove 'loops' around Island Road. A video clip recorded by Mr Ibrahim before the fatal crash was shown to the jury, at the beginning of which Mr Qasim could be heard telling his passengers: 'Jump out of the car and run.' Mr Ibrahim could be heard telling him to 'chill', which he said was him trying to tell the driver to slow down, with Mr Qasim telling him to 'shut up'. The backseat passenger said he did not see Mr Qasim drinking alcohol or smoking after he was picked up by him at about 1am on October 2, although the inquest heard the driver was one and a half times over the drink-drive limit and had recently smoked cannabis. In a statement, front seat passenger Ria Garcha, who had been picked up by Mr Qasim at about 6.30pm on October 1, said the pair had been 'drinking a lot' together and that he had empty vodka bottles in his car that he wanted to get rid of. She said he was 'driving kind of mad' and that both she and Mr Ibrahim, whom she had never met before Mr Qasim had picked him up in the Alum Rock area, had told him to slow down. She said: 'Sometimes he was listening to us, sometimes not. When we first saw the police, the boy (Mr Ibrahim) said, 'oh there's the police' and he put his foot down and went faster. 'I was telling him to slow down, they weren't coming. They were telling me to shut up. I couldn't see any lights or sirens behind us. 'A couple of minutes later the boy said the police were there again. 'We were doing loops around this part of (Island Road). The boy said they were chasing us … I said if they were chasing us, they'd be behind us and I couldn't see them. 'When I did see them, they didn't have their lights or sirens on. I said, 'they're not coming for us'. The boy in the back started filming, he was saying it was a police chase. 'Qasim said he wanted to pull over and run and told us to be ready. He drove really fast. 'It seemed like he couldn't hear anything, he was zoned out. He crashed into the tree and he went flying.' Mr Ibrahim told the court he could not remember much of the incident, but said he had started filming before the crash because, earlier in the day, he had been stopped and searched by police. He said: 'I didn't want the same thing to repeat again. I can record what's happening … it would show my side of the story in case the police stopped us.' Speaking of Mr Qasim's behaviour before the crash, he said: 'Firstly, he was calm, he wanted to make sure the police weren't following but then he changed his reaction when he realised the police were chasing him … he started telling me to shut up.' He added: 'When the police kept looping behind him, he was trying to get away from them.' The inquest continues.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Driver being followed by police before fatal crash told passengers ‘to run'
A driver who was being followed by police told his passengers to 'jump out the car and run' seconds before he crashed into a tree and suffered fatal injuries, an inquest has heard. Muhammad Qasim, 29, was captured speaking on an 18-second video taken by backseat passenger Mohammed Ibrahim moments before he failed to negotiate a bend in the road on Island Road, Handsworth, in the early hours of October 2 2023, and crashed his BMW into the central reservation. Mr Qasim died in hospital later the same day after suffering a 'catastrophic' head injury. The police officer who was following Mr Qasim's car before the crash has denied he was in a pursuit, saying he was not pursuit-trained and was following the vehicle so intelligence checks could be carried out after he saw the BMW going 'easily double' the 30mph speed limit on Church Lane. PC Paul Withers told an inquest into Mr Qasim's death at Birmingham Coroners Court on Thursday that he did not know if the BMW driver was aware he was following him as he did not have his blue lights on and the manner of Mr Qasim's driving had not changed throughout the interaction. On Friday, Mr Ibrahim, who was severely injured in the crash but survived, told the court that Mr Qasim had been aware the police car was following him and that he had increased his speed as he drove 'loops' around Island Road. A video clip recorded by Mr Ibrahim before the fatal crash was shown to the jury, at the beginning of which Mr Qasim could be heard telling his passengers: 'Jump out of the car and run.' Mr Ibrahim could be heard telling him to 'chill', which he said was him trying to tell the driver to slow down, with Mr Qasim telling him to 'shut up'. The backseat passenger said he did not see Mr Qasim drinking alcohol or smoking after he was picked up by him at about 1am on October 2, although the inquest heard the driver was one and a half times over the drink-drive limit and had recently smoked cannabis. In a statement, front seat passenger Ria Garcha, who had been picked up by Mr Qasim at about 6.30pm on October 1, said the pair had been 'drinking a lot' together and that he had empty vodka bottles in his car that he wanted to get rid of. She said he was 'driving kind of mad' and that both she and Mr Ibrahim, whom she had never met before Mr Qasim had picked him up in the Alum Rock area, had told him to slow down. She said: 'Sometimes he was listening to us, sometimes not. When we first saw the police, the boy (Mr Ibrahim) said, 'oh there's the police' and he put his foot down and went faster. 'I was telling him to slow down, they weren't coming. They were telling me to shut up. I couldn't see any lights or sirens behind us. 'A couple of minutes later the boy said the police were there again. 'We were doing loops around this part of (Island Road). The boy said they were chasing us … I said if they were chasing us, they'd be behind us and I couldn't see them. 'When I did see them, they didn't have their lights or sirens on. I said, 'they're not coming for us'. The boy in the back started filming, he was saying it was a police chase. 'Qasim said he wanted to pull over and run and told us to be ready. He drove really fast. 'It seemed like he couldn't hear anything, he was zoned out. He crashed into the tree and he went flying.' Mr Ibrahim told the court he could not remember much of the incident, but said he had started filming before the crash because, earlier in the day, he had been stopped and searched by police. He said: 'I didn't want the same thing to repeat again. I can record what's happening … it would show my side of the story in case the police stopped us.' Speaking of Mr Qasim's behaviour before the crash, he said: 'Firstly, he was calm, he wanted to make sure the police weren't following but then he changed his reaction when he realised the police were chasing him … he started telling me to shut up.' He added: 'When the police kept looping behind him, he was trying to get away from them.' The inquest continues.
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
West Midlands police officer denies pursuit of car in fatal crash
A police officer has denied being in pursuit of a BMW before it crashed into a tree, killing the driver, an inquest has heard. Muhammad Qasim died of "catastrophic" head injuries at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, after his car failed to negotiate a left-hand bend, crashing into a tree on Island Road, Paul Withers, of West Midlands Police, said he was following the 29 year-old's vehicle after he saw it travelling "easily double" the 30mph speed told an inquest at Birmingham Coroner's Court on Thursday he was not trained to carry out police pursuits and only followed the BMW to get intelligence on the car. PC Withers, a standard response grade driver since 2009 and frontline police officer for 23 years, told a jury he decided to "investigate" Mr Qasim's blue BMW after spotting it speeding in the early hours of 2 October inquest heard on Wednesday that Mr Qasim had been one and a half times over the drink-drive limit, had recently used cannabis and was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the Withers said he and his colleague had been heading back to Park Lane police station having picked up food from McDonald' said he turned around to follow the car because he knew Mr Qasim was heading towards a traffic junction where he had just seen pedestrians and believed there could be a danger to then saw Mr Qasim's BMW again on the opposite side of the road and made another U-turn to follow it. 'No swaying, no weaving, nothing' PC Withers said Mr Qasim had not altered his driving in any way and he did not believe the presence of a police car had negatively impacted the way the BMW was being driven."I had not indicated my blue lights or my horn or indicated him to stop."After a third turn in the road was made and the police car followed in the same direction, PC Withers said the next time he saw the BMW was when he happened upon the scene of the collision further down the said: "He negotiated the turns without issue, I had no evidence of him being unable to control [the car], no swaying, no weaving, nothing to cause me concern other than to Authorised Professional Practice guidance for police forces, the definition of a pursuit is when a car or motorcycle refuses to stop and the police driver continues to drive behind the vehicle to report its progress or to stop inquest at Birmingham and Solihull Coroners' Court, continues. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Police officer who followed BMW before fatal crash denies he was pursuing car
A police officer who followed a BMW before it crashed into a tree, killing the driver, has denied he was in pursuit of the vehicle before the incident, an inquest has heard. Muhammad Qasim's vehicle came to the attention of Pc Paul Withers of West Midlands Police in the early hours of October 2 2023 because it was speeding, the officer told an inquest into the 29-year-old's death. Mr Qasim died of 'catastrophic' head injuries at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham hours after his BMW failed to negotiate a left-hand bend and crashed into a tree on a central reservation on Island Road in Handsworth. The inquest, in front of a jury of four women and seven men at Birmingham Coroner's Court, heard on Wednesday that Mr Qasim had been one and a half times over the drink-drive limit, had recently used cannabis and was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision. On Thursday Pc Withers, a standard response grade driver since 2009 and frontline police officer for 23 years, said he was not trained to carry out police pursuits and had only followed Mr Qasim's BMW just after 2am after he saw it going 'easily double' the 30mph speed limit on Church Lane to get intelligence on the car. Pc Withers and his colleague had been heading back to Park Lane police station having picked up food from McDonald's when they spotted Mr Qasim's blue BMW on the opposite side of the road. He said he decided to 'investigate' and turned around to follow because he knew Mr Qasim was heading towards a traffic junction where the police officer had just seen pedestrians and believed there could be a danger to public. Having reached the end of Island Road and losing sight of the BMW, Pc Withers said he had informed the control room he had lost the car before turning right and then right again, contravening a 'no right turn' lane to head back the way he came with the intention of returning to the police station. He then saw Mr Qasim's BMW again on the opposite side of the road and made another U-turn to follow it, saying he was 'shocked' to have seen it again before it went out of sight once more. He told the inquest: 'I thought, considering the manner of driving, that if the driver had something to hide, he wouldn't stay local knowing there's a police car in the vicinity, he would expand his route. 'I was perplexed by the behaviour of (the) driver, I didn't understand why he would carry on with the manner of driving when he had the opportunity to expand his route away from me. 'I anticipated that it would be halfway to the M5 and gain maximum distance away from me.' Pc Withers said Mr Qasim had not altered his driving in any way and that he did not believe the presence of a police car had negatively impacted the way the BMW was being driven. He said: 'If he was fleeing, he had opportunity to distance himself significantly, instead he has done reciprocal turns at the first opportunity which would put us back in close proximity to one another. He had done that on more than one occasion. 'It is not the kind of behaviour I have experienced with drivers who are attempting to distance themselves from a marked vehicle. I was confused what it was trying to achieve.' He added: 'I did consider my presence may have had an influence on the car, but I did try to maintain my speed, I tried to be the least intrusive I could be throughout the entire incident.' Pc Withers said he was only following Mr Qasim's car to get more details so database checks could be run on it and that traffic officers who were trained to pursue the vehicle were nearby and would be at the scene 'momentarily'. He said: 'It's not unusual for cars to have information markers on them if linked to criminality, for drugs or firearms, which would give us an indication if it is worth a stop. 'Quite often when vehicles have those markers, suitably trained firearms officers would do that stop and I wouldn't want us in the vicinity of that. It was impossible to tell at that stage.' According to Authorised Professional Practice guidance for police forces, the definition of a pursuit is when a car or motorcycle, by their actions or their continuance of their manner of driving, refuses to stop and that the police driver believes the subject vehicle driver is aware of a requirement to stop and the police driver continues to drive behind the vehicle to report its progress or to stop it. Asked by counsel to the inquest Bridget Dolan KC if he believed he was in pursuit of Mr Qasim's vehicle, Pc Withers said no, saying he was maintaining his speed and did not have his blue lights activated having turned them off when he first lost the BMW. He said: 'His behaviour was unusual, not what I would expect if he was trying to evade me. The distance between us would've been the width of the central reservation, we were in that space together for a couple of seconds at best. 'I had not indicated my blue lights or my horn or indicated him to stop.' After a third turn in the road was made and the police car followed in the same direction, Pc Withers said the next time he saw the BMW was when he happened upon the scene of the collision further down the road. He said: 'Right up to the last point of being in close proximity, he appeared to be in control. 'He negotiated the turns without issue, I had no evidence of him being unable to control (the car), no swaying, no weaving, nothing to cause me concern other than speed. 'I was trying to understand what he was trying to achieve. 'For the lion's share of this interaction, the BMW had not been in my presence. I had very little time to try and assess what he was trying to do, what the outcome would be. It didn't make any sense to me at the time.' The inquest continues.
