SILSDEN MAN SENTENCED FOR RAMMING WOMAN'S CAR AND BREACHING RESTRAINING ORDER
A 21-year-old man from Silsden has been sentenced to prison after lying in wait to ram a woman's car, causing her to fear for her safety.Harris Karim was found guilty of breaching a restraining order, dangerous driving, criminal damage, driving while disqualified, and having no insurance following a trial at magistrates’ court.
According to court reports, he had breached a restraining order not to contact the victim when she saw him in his car blocking her road on Boxing Day last year.
He accelerated towards her vehicle, stopped to look at her, and then repeatedly rammed his car into hers, which pushed it backwards.
Afterward, he reversed and then drove forward into her vehicle multiple times.
The victim managed to escape the scene, and Karim shouted and swore at her, calling her a 'b****.' He was arrested the following day but gave no comment during police interviews.
Police discovered he was disqualified from driving, his license had expired, and he had no insurance.
He was also under a restraining order and had earlier served a suspended sentence for stalking, which he later breached.
The court highlighted his immaturity and difficulty in managing his emotions, stating that he had a traumatic childhood marked by the death of his father and the absence of a male role model.
The judge sentenced Karim to two and a half years in prison for breaching the restraining order, 18 months for dangerous driving, and 12 weeks for driving while disqualified, to run concurrently.
An additional month of a suspended sentence for stalking was activated, resulting in a total of 31 months imprisonment.
Karim was disqualified from driving for four years and must pass an extended re-test before regaining his license.
He was also subject to a five-year restraining order banning all contact with the victim.
The court described his actions as causing significant damage and extreme distress to the victim, who expressed feeling frightened for her and her family, especially her sister present in the car.
