Posted on the 4th February 2026 in PHTM News

CHELMSFORD CABBIE'S DEVASTATING WRONG WAY A12 DASH ENDS IN SUSPENDED SENTENCE

A Chelmsford cabbie narrowly escaped jail after driving the wrong way down the A12 while more than two-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit.

Khurram Bashir, a driver with 20 years of experience, sped toward oncoming traffic at up to 60mph on December 23, forcing one motorist to swerve when she was “confronted by a sight of headlights driving at speed towards her.”

The court heard that Bashir’s vehicle came within metres of a head-on collision with a police car travelling at 70mph, a near-miss that left an officer “shaken” by an impact that “would have been devastating and no doubt fatal.”

He was eventually intercepted by a police officer who used their vehicle to block the carriageway.

During sentencing at Chelmsford Crown Court, Recorder Paul Sharkey lambasted the actions as “foolish and stupid,”telling Bashir: “It was your choice to drink a considerable amount of alcohol and put yourself in that position.”

While the defence noted that Bashir was struggling with severe anxiety over a health scare, the judge emphasised that “this was a very bad case of dangerous driving where you could have collided head-on with a number of vehicles.”

Huda Mousa for the defence, noted that Bashir had expressed deep remorse, stating that “he actually wanted to thank police officers for stopping him and the fact that mercifully there was no collision where there could have been.” Describing the incident as a “one-off” for the previously law-abiding family man, he highlighted his immediate admission of guilt.

Bashir received an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, alongside a two-year driving ban and 200 hours of unpaid work.


Read another story