Men jailed after stolen BMW crashed into care home

Two men have been jailed after a stolen BMW, which had been travelling at up to 104mph (167km/h), crashed into a care home and injured several residents.

Driver Sam Asgari-Tabar and passenger Reece Parish, both 21, ploughed into Highcliffe Care Home in Sunderland on 9 July after taking the vehicle from a woman during a test drive.

A police chase ensued before the car crashed into the home, with the floor of the building's upstairs lounge collapsing on to residents below.

Sentencing the duo at Newcastle Crown Court for offences including robbery, Judge Stephen Earl said the dangerous driving was "one of the worst cases" he had seen in his time on the bench.

Prosecutors said Asgari-Tabar, of no fixed abode, and Parish, from Sunderland, went to check out the car being advertised for sale on Facebook in Fenham, Newcastle, before they drove off with a terrified woman who was selling it on behalf of a relative still inside.

They eventually managed to remove her before speeding off again.

Reece Parish (left) and Sam Asgari-Tabar were jailed for three years one month and Five years eight months respectively

Northumbria Police officers had been following the BMW, which had been reported stolen at about 21:20 BST.

It crashed into the care home in the Witherwack area of Sunderland about 15 minutes later.

Eight people were taken to hospital. One of those seriously injured was a 93-year-old woman who had to be dug out by emergency workers.

Eight people were taken to hospital after the stolen car hit Highcliffe Care Home in Sunderland

In a victim impact statement read to the court, her son said: "My mother has lost a lot of independence we valued before the crash. She's lost a lot of mobility she once had, now needing to be moved around in a wheelchair."

He added staff had since told him "she's not same person they knew before".

The prosecution previously told the court repairs to the building would cost £260,000.

Judge Earl said the dashcam footage was an "appalling watch".

"It was amazing others weren't caught up in this catastrophe," he said, adding: "Many of the injured had stages of dementia and cannot comprehend what has happened to them or why they are now in pain.

"All should have felt safe in the care home but they weren't safe and suffered significant and avoidable injuries due to [Asgari-Tabar's] actions."

'Deaths not linked'

The two pleaded guilty to robbery with Asgari-Tabar also admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Asgari-Tabar was already serving a suspended sentence for attacking family members and had been banned from driving.

He was jailed for five years and eight months on Tuesday and was banned from driving for seven years.

Parish, of Fordham Road, also admitted a charge of violent disorder after he joined in widespread trouble in Sunderland city centre last August.

He was jailed for three years and one month.

The day after the crash, police confirmed two women - one in her 80s and the other in her 90s - had died, although the Independent Office for Police Conduct has confirmed their deaths were not linked to the incident.