Liverpool taxi driver jailed for road rage attack on Wavertree Road, driving ban imposed

Hawkar Karimi, 37, punched a motorist on busy Wavertree Road in Liverpool before chasing him by car and ramming him twice. He received a 12-month suspended sentence and a 30-month driving ban.

Liverpool taxi driver suspended sentence after road rage brawl and car ramming

A Liverpool taxi driver who punched a motorist in the middle of a busy road before chasing him and ramming his car twice has been handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, The Sun reports.

Hawkar Karimi, 37, was captured on his own dashcam throwing punches at another driver on Wavertree Road in Edge Hill, Liverpool, shortly after 7pm on 13 September last year. The violent exchange lasted around 10 seconds, during which Karimi at one point fell to the ground after the other man landed a punch to his head.

The confrontation began at a junction where Karimi, who was driving behind the unnamed motorist, beeped his horn after the man missed a green light. Karimi believed the other driver had been using a mobile phone at the wheel, Liverpool Crown Court heard. The two men made contact and a fight broke out — Karimi told the court he had wanted to resolve matters "like a man" but had not intended to fight.

After the brawl, Karimi returned to his cab and launched a minute-long car chase, reaching speeds of up to 40 mph. He followed the man through a red light on a congested road and struck the back of his vehicle. The pursuit continued into a narrow residential street before the two cars reached the junction at Edge Lane, where Karimi rammed the man's black Volkswagen for a second time.

The man abandoned his car and fled on foot. Karimi then drove into the vehicle once more, sending it into a brick wall outside a furniture shop. He was arrested at the scene.

In court, Karimi said he had given chase because he did not want the other man to get away with hitting him. He told the court he "regretted his behaviour." His defence barrister, Matthew Cullen, described Karimi — who has no previous convictions and is a father of one — as a "positively contributing" member of society, arguing that his actions that day did not reflect his "true character."

Karimi had previously admitted one count of dangerous driving.

Judge Stuart Driver KC described the driving as "disgraceful." He said he believed Karimi should have received a custodial sentence but found there were "no exceptional circumstances" that would allow him to impose one. Under the Sentencing Act 2020, as amended in March this year, sentences of 12 months or less must be suspended except in exceptional cases.

Alongside the suspended sentence, Karimi was ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work and placed on a 12-month probation requirement. He was banned from driving for 30 months and ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge.

Source: The Sun