A man who left a family member unable to walk when he crashed his car after hitting speeds of 78mph has been jailed for more than five years.

Akhlaq Ahmed, 21, was driving on June 5, 2021, showing off to his drunk friends when he crashed into a parked vehicle.

Preston Crown Court heard how Ahmed was driving around with a number of friends including Atif Zarif, who is a distant relative.

Ahmed started to show off to his friends, driving dangerously and at high speeds, with Mr Zarif telling him on a number of occasions to slow down.

On the first request, Ahmed did drop his speed but he quickly started driving dangerously again.

Worried for his safety, Mr Zarif asked to be taken home but Ahmed instead went to the shop to buy more alcohol at the request of the other passengers.

Mr Zarif got in the front of the car at the shop, hoping he may be able to better convince Ahmed to drive sensibly from that position.

Instead of taking him home, Ahmed continued to drive dangerously despite Mr Zarif’s pleas again.

Mr Zarif warned Ahmed of a bend coming up in the road but his warnings were ignored.

Ahmed took the corner too fast, with evidence showing his speed hit 78mph, before crashing into a parked car at 47mph.

Mr Zarif managed to escape the car but was left incapacitated as he was unable to move his leg.

Ahmed fled the scene, leaving his relative alone, unable to move and in pain.

An ambulance arrived and Mr Zarif was taken to hospital where he was told he had broken three fingers and he had multiple fractures to his leg which required pins and rods.

While in hospital after his surgery, Mr Zarif took a turn for the worse and ended up spending a day in intensive care.

He was discharged on June 21 – 16 days after the crash - with crutches which he continued to use for several months.

The court also heard how Ahmed and his co-defendant Mohammed Jabber, 21, were caught ‘red handed’ while dealing Class A drugs in a park on a separate occasion.

The pair were seen by a police officer, with Ahmed in possession of cocaine while Jabber was in possession of heroin.

The court also heard about a third incident in which Ahmed was caught with a number of rolled cannabis joints in his car.

Baljit Somal, offering mitigation, said Ahmed was a carer for his cousin who has cerebral palsy and he suffers with ADHD - attention deficity hyperactivity disorder.

Since the driving incident, Ahmed has not got back behind the wheel for a number of reasons.

Mr Somal said: “Ahmed hasn’t sought to drive a vehicle since the collision.

“He is scared, he is upset with himself and he is very remorseful to what happened to the victim who is his cousin, albeit distant.”

For Jabber, Charles Brown said he had only been working for Ahmed for about five or six days when he was caught by the police and he was a lower level drug dealer to Ahmed, following instructions rather than giving them.

Mr Brown said: “He was a young man with no previous convictions who was seduced into undertaking and assisting the co-defendant by the fact the co-defendant had all the digs of a glamorous lifestyle.”

Ahmed, of Manor Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class B drugs, and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was also found guilty by a jury of possession to supply class A drugs.

He was jailed for five and a half years, and disqualified from driving three years, and will have to sit an extended test to get his licence back.

Jabber, of Granville Road, Blackburn, had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

He was given a two year sentence, suspended for two years.

As part of his order he must complete 10 day rehabilitation activity, 140 hours of unpaid work and he has been made subject to an electronically monitored curfew.

An order was also made for forfeiture of destruction of all drugs and paraphernalia.