Police hail first jailing of street-racing organisers

The sentencing of two men and a woman for organising illegal street races has been hailed as a breakthrough by West Midlands Police.

Retail worker Ahzi Nagmadin, 24, and Jessica Roberts, 30 were each jailed for three years by Birmingham Crown Court and Rashani Reid, aged 32, was sentenced to four years and two months.

All three had admitted causing a public nuisance.

In February, courts granted an order banning drivers, riders or passengers participating in racing anywhere in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall.

Supt Gareth Mason said it was the first time the organisers of street racing in the area had been jailed.

He described the illegal races as a "big problem in the West Midlands" and said the three, all from Birmingham, had used closed social media groups to coordinate their activities.

Retail worker Nagmadin, of Blakemore Close, Bartley Green, was "the creator of a popular street racing account, which had around 20,000 followers", the West Midlands force said.

It said his account would announce the location of the meetings at the last minute and afterwards share images of the cars.

Unemployed Reid, of Barber Street, Lozells, was responsible for posting on a similar Instagram account, the force said, and he was involved in organising events and attended races.

Nursery worker Jessica Roberts, of Ballams Wood Drive, Birmingham, was found by the police to have hundreds of messages on her phone, discussing attending and arranging meet-ups.

Supt Gareth Mason said street racing was a big problem in the West Midlands

Det Con Mark Campbell said all three played different roles in the races, some of which took place during coronavirus lockdowns.

He said Nagmadin "was proud of the brand identity he had created", that Reid "wanted to be a social media influencer", and that Roberts gave out warnings to racers about any police presence.

Councils were previously granted a street cruising injunction following a crackdown on the activity

Four police forces from across the region - West Midlands, Staffordshire, West Mercia and Warwickshire - previously came together to tackle street racing under the name of Operation Hercules.

In February this year, a ban on street racing across Birmingham and the Black Country was granted by judges until 2027.

The order prohibits drivers, riders or passengers participating in racing anywhere in Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall.