Warning issued to would-be street racers as Smethwick man sentenced for breaching ban

The warning comes after a man from Smethwick admitted being in contempt of court following an incident of street racing, also known as car cruising, in Bearwood in Smethwick in late March.

Qamar Hussain, of William Road in Smethwick, appeared before the High Court in Birmingham on Thursday, April 25 and admitted racing against another vehicle along the Hagley Road between Wolverhampton Road and Bearwood Road. 

He received a 21-day custodial sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay £2,950.30 in costs.

The building work against car cruising has built up since an incident in Oldbury on November 2022, when Ben Corfield and Liberty Charris were killed  after 56-year-old Dhiya Al-Maamoury lost control of his heavily modified Nissan Skyline and crashed into a crowd of pedestrians standing on the pavement.

The High Court injunction, led by Wolverhampton Council on behalf of Dudley Council, Sandwell Council and Walsall Council and supported by West Midlands Police, prohibits people from participating in, as a driver, rider or passenger, street racing; from promoting, organising or publicising gatherings; or from participating as a spectator.

The injunction covers the whole of the boroughs of Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall and anyone found to be breaching it will be in contempt of court and may be imprisoned, fined or have their assets seized. 

They may also be ordered to pay the council's legal costs of any hearing.

Councillor Obaida Ahmed, Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Digital and Community, said: "The existence of the street racing injunction is widely known across the Black Country, but we are still seeing occasional incidents such as the one which occurred in Smethwick in March.

“As we have seen once again, the court will not hesitate to take tough action against anyone who breaches the injunction

"We know that street racing activity typically increases with the lighter nights and warmer weather of spring and summer, and anyone who is thinking of taking part in this wholly anti-social activity should recognise the severe consequences that they will face."

Councillor Suzanne Hartwell, Sandwell Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community, said: “Street racing puts people’s lives at risk and can lead to tragedies on our roads.

“This is the 10th person we have taken to court for breaching the injunction by racing on Sandwell’s roads, and we will continue to work in partnership with the police and other Black Country councils to respond to people’s concerns and protect our communities.”

West Midlands Police is inviting members of the public to submit dash cam or mobile phone footage of street racing events or dangerous driving via its Op Snap website.