Dlear Ahmed gave steering and breaking instructions to Omed Aziz, who lost his eyes in a bomb blast in his native Iraq, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard yesterday. Ahmed, 21, pleaded guilty to driving dangerously while disqualified and driving without insurance.

He committed the offence on the Oldbury Ringway and West Bromwich Street just three days before he was due to appear in court for another of driving while disqualified.

He is already facing deportation after previously being convicted of a number of offences including two counts of driving while disqualified and one of possession of a weapon.

Mr Robert Hodgkinson, prosecuting, said Ahmed aided and abetted Aziz to drive a Peugeot 406 at speeds of 35 mph on April 23.

He said the vehicle had been seen on the wrong side of the road and then swerved back over the white lines.

He said the car came to a stop and officers found Aziz in the driver’s seat and Ahmed in the passenger seat.

Ahmed was arrested and it became apparent he had been giving Aziz instructions.

Ahmed, formerly of Andrew Gardens, Handsworth, has been housed at an immigration centre in Oxfordshire.

He has officially lodged an appeal against the earlier decision to deport him although in court he cried out to the judge to deport him immediately.

Judge Nicholas Webb told Ahmed that his presence in the UK was no longer in the public interest, handing him a nine month custodial sentence and banning him from driving for five years. He was also ordered to take an extended driving test.

“The man you recklessly helped drive didn’t have impaired vision, he was completely blind,” he said.

“What you did was not only fraught with danger for both of you, but more importantly for innocent road users. This offence is so serious only a prison sentence will suffice.”

Last month, Omed Aziz, 31, of Birmingham Street, Wednesbury, was given a three month suspended sentence and a three year driving ban.

By Steve Wright

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