A driver narrowly avoided knocking down shoppers as he sped off from police along a pedestrianised street in Swansea city centre, a court has heard. Mohammad El-Anzi swerved around pedestrians, performed a U-turn outside a bank, and raced through a red traffic light. El-Anzi’s barrister explained to Swansea Crown Court that the defendant “panicked” and accelerated after being stopped by the police. The court heard that police officers on foot patrol received reports of a white BMW narrowly missing pedestrians and cyclists in Swansea city centre.
The officers spotted the car on Whitewalls and stopped it. One officer leaned into the car through the passenger window and instructed El-Anzi to turn off the engine and remove the keys. However, El-Anzi suddenly drove off in an “erratic manner,” driving onto the pavement and swerving around pedestrians on Oxford Street and then Portland Street. The officers ran after the car, managing to touch the vehicle as they shouted at El-Anzi to stop. El-Anzi drove off along Oxford Street, narrowly missing members of the public before disappearing into Sandfields, leaving the car unattended on Fleet Street.
El-Anzi later walked into Swansea Central police station and surrendered himself. During the court proceedings, El-Anzi explained that he was scared of officers in uniform due to a previous assault by police in his native Kuwait. The defendant pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance. His barrister highlighted El-Anzi’s mental health issues, including schizophrenia and severe depression, and urged the court to consider his engagement with mental health services.
The judge acknowledged El-Anzi’s mental health conditions and the traumatic experiences he had faced, noting that the defendant’s actions were a result of panic rather than deliberate recklessness. El-Anzi was sentenced to an 18-month community order and a two-year driving ban, with the requirement to pass an extended driving test before regaining his licence. The judge emphasised the importance of El-Anzi continuing to receive support from mental health services for the benefit of both himself and society.