Woman horrified as 'date' sped away from police and crashed causing multi-car pile-up

Daily Record

09-06-2025

Courtney Redfern was on a date with Mazyar Azarbonyad when he sped away from police at 120 mph and caused multi-car pile-up on a busy motorway.
A 'first date ' caught up in a horrifying A1 crash that left seven officers in hospital has said she "wished it never happened", sources close to the case have said.
Courtney Redfern, 26, from Gateshead, was on a first date with Mazyar Azarbonyad, 20 when he sped away from police after being stopped shortly before the crash.
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She was begging him to stop as Azarbonyad sped away from police at up to 120mph, with five police cars in pursuit.
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He continued to race along the motorway before slamming on the brakes 'in a matter of metres' before a police vehicle went into the back of the BMW 5 Series, Newcastle Crown court heard.
It was revealed Azarbonyad had never passed his driving test and only had three lessons before he purchased the powerful 4x4 on finance.
It is understood Courtney didn't know about his driving record and the pair never met again after that night, reports the Mirror.
A source, who requested to remain anonymous said: "She wishes it had never happened.
"She was caught up in this through no fault of her own."
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Courtney met Azarbonyad the day before the date and he 'panicked' when she told him that she had drugs on her.
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Azarbonyad was sentenced to 14 months in a youth detention centre. Judge Tim Gittins told him previously: "It is nothing short of a miracle that no one was seriously injured and there were not multiple fatalities. Your dangerous driving was prolonged, persistent and deliberate. It is difficult to imagine a worse case of dangerous driving without serious injury or death being caused.'
The smash caused 'regional traffic chaos' which would have cost 'tens if not hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage'.
It is thought that the damage the vehicles alone was at least £250,000.
Judge Gittins added: "You should not have been anywhere near the driving seat of any vehicle let alone a BMW X5, a large and powerful SUV.
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'As other police vehicles joined the pursuit your speed continued to rise by a hair raising amount close to 120mph. Your passenger pleaded with you to slow down believing you were going to kill someone. Just as dangerous as your high speeds was your action to break rapidly coming to a sudden stop causing a catastrophic collision.
The judge added that the car could not be reclaimed as he had no insurance. He was banned from driving for three years and seven months after he admitted having eight points on his licence for driving uninsured in 2023.
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Azarbonyad said 'Nah!" to Courtney as he made off from the police, the court heard. Jolyon Perks, prosecuting, told how he had failed to stop twice for police prior to the crash.
"At about 1.50am on April 9, PC Wilson saw the BMW X5 of the defendant travelling at speed in Swalwell, Gateshead," he said.
"The defendant was required to stop but made off towards Swalwell Bank. He was then spotted again at 2.15am in the area and PC Wilson pulled over to allow traffic units trained in pursuit to take over.
"The defendant drove off again at speed and was travelling in excess of 100mph on the A1. He reached speeds of 120mph and then attempted to give way to the police.
"Courtney Redfern had met the defendant for the first time that evening and he told her that he drove off due to a defective light. She told him that she had a small amount of drugs."
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She accepted a police caution for possession of cannabis for personal use. Azarbonyad told police that his driving had been 'sh**', Mr Perks added.
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He also drove without a licence and no insurance on four occasions after being granted bail at his first appearance before magistrates in April.
Penny Hall, mitigating, stated that he had fled Iran when he was just 14 years and had been without any parental guidance since he was taken into care in the UK. He left when he was 18.
Azarbonyad had left Iran with his uncle, but the pair lost each other en route and he had been alone ever since. She went on: "He was not seen at all by anyone once he left the care system at 18 in this country, apart from the occasional letter and phone call, it ended there.
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"He had no direction provided from there and no support, no guidance. He has shown a good work ethic and worked as a personal trainer but lost his job as a result of these offences when police turned up to arrest him. "He is terrified of the prospect of going to prison." He had 'panicked' when his passenger told him that she had some drugs with her and that had resulted in him leaving the scene at speed, she added.
Speaking after the case, Supt Billy Mulligan, of Northumbria Police, said: 'It is sheer luck that Mazyar Azarbonyad did not kill anyone with his reckless actions.
"What should have been a simple stop turned into him driving incredibly dangerously in a bid to get away from officers. He showed absolutely zero regard for the safety of anyone else.
'I would like to recognise the bravery of the officers involved. While three officers returned to duty, four remain off work. They were simply doing their job, protecting the public from the actions of someone who was not qualified or insured to drive."
The judge stressed Ms Redfern had no idea of Azarbonyad's driving record. It is understood that they did not see each other again.
When asked by the Mirror, Azarbonyad smiled when asked about if he saw her again.