Dangerous driver jailed after 95mph police chase in Nottingham with machete in car
Dangerous driver sentenced following pursuit at 95mph
A dangerous driver who led police on a high-speed pursuit through Nottingham with a machete in his car has been jailed.
Officers began following a Volkswagen Polo in New Basford in the early hours of 7 August 2026, after it was spotted driving suspiciously along Perry Road.
When Armed Policing officers activated their blue lights, the driver — 21-year-old Riyan Ahmed — failed to stop and accelerated away.
During the pursuit, the Polo reached speeds of up to 95mph and was driven on the wrong side of the carriageway along Valley Road, which has a 40mph speed limit.
Ahmed then hit a kerb while turning onto the A60 Mansfield Road, damaging one of the car’s tyres. Officers used the opportunity to bring the vehicle to a safe stop.
The Polo was boxed in at the junction of the A60 and Albemarle Road in Woodthorpe, before officers removed Ahmed from the driver’s seat.
When the car was searched, a machete in a sheath was found in the footwell.
Ahmed, of Glamis Road, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possession of a knife in a public place, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
At Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday 1 September, he was jailed for two years.
Police Constable Ryan Bullick, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was an appalling display of driving that put the lives of multiple road users in danger.
“When we pursue speeding and dangerous drivers in this way, our primary concern is always for the safety of the general public and all those involved in the pursuit.
“Thanks to the professionalism and training of all the officers and control room staff involved, the vehicle was brought to a safe stop and Ahmed was arrested.
“We also discovered he was driving around with a machete in the footwell of the car, and this weapon was seized and destroyed.”