A personal trainer has admitted to dangerous driving following a dramatic high-speed police pursuit on the A1 that ended in a crash involving five police vehicles and left seven officers injured. Shockingly, his passenger at the time was on her first date with him.
Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20, of Sylvia Terrace, Stanley, County Durham, appeared before Newcastle Magistrates’ Court, where he admitted multiple driving offences stemming from the incident in the early hours of 9 April.
The court heard that Azarbonyad, originally from Iran and living in the UK since around 2020, was behind the wheel of a powerful BMW when the chase unfolded. The pursuit, led by officers from Northumbria Police, took place near the Gateshead and Newcastle border at approximately 2.30am and culminated in a serious collision involving multiple police vehicles.
The defendant was found to be driving without a licence and insurance, and had a female passenger in the vehicle — a woman he had just taken out on a first date and was driving home when the incident occurred.
He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving without insurance, and driving without a licence. Azarbonyad also admitted to repeatedly breaching bail conditions by continuing to drive on at least four further occasions, including using a Hyundai i10 to commute to work at a gym in Newcastle city centre.
The magistrates were told that despite clear bail conditions banning him from getting behind the wheel, Azarbonyad drove to work after the crash, showing a blatant disregard for the court’s authority.
The crash on 9 April was described in court as “severe” with seven officers sustaining injuries as a result of the collision, although none were believed to be life-threatening. The extent of the damage to the police vehicles involved has not yet been disclosed, but the incident has raised concerns about the risk posed to both officers and the public during high-speed pursuits.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said:
“This was a deeply reckless episode of driving which led to multiple injuries among police personnel. It is fortunate that no lives were lost, particularly as the passenger in the vehicle was entirely uninvolved and unaware of what was to come.”
During his court appearance, Azarbonyad appeared visibly remorseful as details of the incident were read out. His solicitor said that he “panicked” when initially pursued by police and made a “foolish decision” to flee, claiming he did not want to be deported due to his immigration status and prior lack of documentation.
The bench was told that Azarbonyad had moved to the UK with aspirations of building a new life and had found work as a fitness instructor, but had “jeopardised everything” through a combination of poor choices and disregard for the law.
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He was granted bail but warned that a custodial sentence remained a strong possibility when he appears for sentencing at Newcastle Crown Court next month. The chair of the bench told him:
“These are very serious offences, and the fact that multiple police officers were injured and your repeat driving breaches while on bail make this matter wholly unsuitable for magistrates’ court sentencing. You will be sentenced at crown court.”
Police have reiterated their concern about the dangers of fleeing vehicles and are reviewing the circumstances of the pursuit as part of standard procedure.
Anyone with additional information about the crash, or who may have witnessed events that night, is encouraged to contact Northumbria Police on 101, quoting incident reference 9 April – A1 pursuit.
