A MAN who crashed his BMW into another car before hurtling off the road and into the side of a Cowley Road pub has been handed a community penalty.

Omer Hussain, of Cowley Road, Oxford, had denied causing the crash near The City Arms pub shortly after midnight on January 26 last year.

Jurors at Oxford Crown Court, however, took just one hour to unanimously convict the 29-year old of a single count of dangerous driving.

At his sentencing hearing at the same court on Thursday Judge Peter Ross, who presided over the trial, ordered that Hussain be made subject to a 12-month community order.

During the trial prosecutors said that police had first spotted Hussain’s ‘inappropriate’ driving at Southfield Road and decided to follow him.

Before they were able to catch up to him Hussain drove onto Cowley Road where he clipped the side of a passing Audi vehicle, coming off the road and into a set of railings to the side of the pub.

Hussain then got out of his car and ran off up Magdalen Road.

At the sentencing hearing defence barrister Richard Davies said that his client had numerous personal responsibilities, both financial and familial which would make the imposition of a curfew difficult.

Sentencing, Judge Peter Ross said: “In my view this crash was caused by nothing more than dangerous driving, excess speed and a completely cavalier approach to the give way requirement at the bottom of Southfield Road.

“[Later] you jumped out of your car and ran away. That was grossly irresponsible and you did so to avoid being caught behind the wheel of that car.”

Hussain was made subject to a community order to include a three-month curfew between 7pm and 7am and must carry out 180 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay compensation of £2,450, a victim surcharge and court costs of £2,000 and was disqualified from driving for one year.