A young man has been told his dreams of becoming a police officer have been ruined – after he led police on a chase along one of Aberdeen’s busiest roads.
Kashif Ahmed had been driving his silver Vauxhall Astra at around 39mph down the Beach Esplanade on February 14 when police noticed he was travelling too fast.
When officers started following the 24-year-old, he began to speed up.
They put on their blue emergency lights, but Ahmed took off.
At one point, the police car reached speeds of 79mph in a 30mph zone while trying to catch up with him.
When the officers managed to pull over the storeman, he told them he had been scared to stop and “panicked” as he thought a speeding conviction would affect his chances of joining the force.
Yesterday, he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court and admitted driving dangerously that night.
The court heard that he was “well in excess of the speed limit” on a stretch of a busy road, which was unlit and frequently used by other cars and pedestrians.
Defence agent John Hardie said Ahmed was regretful for the “stupid decision” he made when he panicked.
He said although his client accepted he had been speeding at the outset, he did not reach excessive speeds until police gave chase.
The court heard Ahmed, of 27 Lintmill Place, Aberdeen, would lose his job at the end of the week as his employment depended on him having a full drivers’ licence.
Mr Hardie said there was no prospect of him regaining employment any time soon as everything was qualified for required him to be able to drive.
Sheriff Raymond McMenamin told Ahmed: “It does seem like a most unfortunate decision led you to drive at that speed.
“I appreciate you will pay the price for this in losing your job. Your life will completely change and your dream of becoming a police officer is not likely to be something you will now be able to fulfil.”
Ahmed was banned from the roads for 16 months and ordered to resit an extended test. He was also fined £280.