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Court shown footage of police officer being run over by car thief in Birmingham

Mubashar Hussain, 29, has admitted causing grievous bodily harm to Pc Gareth Phillips

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Mubashar Hussain

A court has been shown harrowing body-cam and helicopter-filmed footage of the moment a car thief ran over a police officer despite being Tasered at the wheel of a stolen Range Rover.

Mubashar Hussain drove away at up to 97mph in a hijacked police BMW after knocking down Pc Gareth Phillips and almost reversing over the head of another officer in the Moseley area of Birmingham.

The city’s Crown Court was told Hussain had removed barbs left in his skin by a Taser deployed by officers who surrounded the Range Rover, which had been stolen the previous day.

Hussain pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Pc Phillips with intent to resist arrest, as well as 11 other offences, during a brief video-link appearance last month.

Opening the case against the 29-year-old on Tuesday, prosecutor Andrew Smith QC said Hussain was wearing a balaclava when he reversed the 4×4 away from an arriving police car, while his accomplice Ahsan Ghafoor threw a house brick.

Several unmarked and marked cars had been sent to the scene after the Range Rover was seen driving dangerously, in convoy with another vehicle stolen from a furniture store car park.

Pc Phillips, who suffered severe injuries including a shattered pelvis, was among several officers who arrived at the scene on August 10 in three police vehicles.

The injured officer was discharged from hospital last month after surgery. He was in court for the sentencing hearing, but left along with several other people when recordings of the events were played.

Mr Smith said of Hussain, who attempted to shift the Range Rover back into gear after it was blocked in and surrounded by officers in Moorcroft Road, Moseley: “He remained resistant even when a Taser device was used against him.

“In fact he tried to remove the barbs of the fired Taser from his skin.”

Police body-cam footage played to the hearing showed Ghafoor being handcuffed and pinned to the ground near the Range Rover as Hussain emerged from the driver’s door.

Police officer ran over in Birmingham
Ahsan Ghafoor, who admitted two counts of car theft at Birmingham Crown Court in September (West Midlands Police/PA)

Hussain was then filmed struggling with officers, Mr Smith said, adding: “He began to get out of the car and was determined to use his physical strength to resist the police officers.

“Mr Hussain was described as looking in a rage and fired up. He reached the unmarked police car behind the Range Rover, despite being Tasered once more.”

The police car – which had been left with its engine running due to the swift nature of the events – began to reverse after Hussain got into the driver’s seat, the court heard.

Mr Smith added: “Mr Hussain then drove forward over the pelvic region of Pc Phillips before accelerating up Moorcroft Road.

“The effect was immediately distressing. This was an extremely shocking and frightening incident for all of the police officers involved.”

Describing the footage shown to the court, the prosecutor continued: “This series of recordings capture the critical events in a manner that requires no detailed commentary.”

During the recordings, one officer could be heard urging a colleague to handcuff Hussain, moments before an “officer down” message requesting an ambulance was relayed.

Hussain, of no fixed address, was arrested in the Sparkbrook area by armed police after abandoning the police car and heading into a dessert shop, where he disguised himself in an apron and then punched a chasing officer.

The banned driver has admitted causing grievous bodily harm, two counts of vehicle theft, dangerous driving, two counts of driving while disqualified, two counts of assault, assaulting an emergency worker, aggravated vehicle-taking, and two charges of having no insurance.

Ghafoor, 24, of Fulham Road, Sparkhill, has admitted dangerous driving, having no insurance and driving other than in accordance with a licence.

The sentencing hearing continues.

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