Drunk motorist killed taxi driver, 27, in horror 100mph smash after racking up a £120 bar bill downing Peroni and tequila then making a Facetime call to his girlfriend behind the wheel

• Prosecutors said James Hobson had around eight to 10 beers and eight tequilas
• Drunk motorist was driving on wrong side of road as he tried to evade police
• CCTV footage caught Hobson staggering out of the bar back towards his car

A drunk motorist killed a taxi driver in a horror 100mph smash after racking up a £120 bar bill downing Peroni and tequila before making a Facetime call to his girlfriend while behind the wheel.

Driving on the wrong side of the road, James Hobson, 33, crashed straight into 27-year-old Malik Ameer Abbas while overtaking another car on the A172 at Dixons Bank, Middlesborough, as he tried to evade police desperately chasing him down.

The Mercedes driver had spent the evening of March 29 last year drinking at the Highfield Hotel where prosecutors claim he racked up a £116 bill consuming eight to 10 pints of Peroni and eight tequila shots over six hours.

Teesside Crown Court heard at sentencing today that CCTV footage caught Hobson staggering back to his car after leaving the bar.

Hobson, of Durham Street, Hartlepool, who admitted to causing death by dangerous driving was jailed for seven years and four months and was disqualified from driving for 11 years and eight months.

James Hobson (pictured), 33, has been jailed for seven years and four months after crashing straight into 27-year-old taxi driver Malik Ameer Abbas while overtaking another car as he tried to evade police chasing him down

Prosecutors said that Mr Abbas (pictured) ‘stood no chance of evading the head on impact’ after Hobson ploughed into his car

Hobson was spotted speeding on Marton Road, in Middlesbrough, by an unmarked police car, prompting the officer to activate his sirens. 

Summarising the chase, prosecutor Nick Dry said: ‘Despite reaching speeds in excess of 100mph the officer still struggled to keep up with the defendant.

‘He quickly accelerated away initially travelling on the wrong side of the road before pulling back in and speeding rapidly. The defendant again went on the wrong side of the road and was passing other vehicles.

‘The officer increased his speed to a maximum of 103mph but it was clear the defendant was putting distance between them.’

Mr Dry said the chase lasted for around two-and-a-half minutes, during which time officers had not immediately realised Hobson had struck Abbas’s taxi.

Abbas ‘stood no chance of evading the head on impact’ as Hobson ploughed into him while overtaking another car, forcing the taxi driver’s vehicle about 50 metres backwards.

Mr Dry said: ‘Mr Abbas was driving safely within his own lane and stood no chase of evading the head on impact.’ 

Police at the scene said there was a mobile in the passenger side footwell of the Hobson’s car which was engaged in an ongoing Facetime call with a female – believed to be the defendant’s then partner.

Paramedics and fire crews were called to the scene, but despite attempts to revive Mr Abbas he was declared deceased. A pathologist later confirmed that ‘catastrophic injuries’ suffered in the collision caused his death. 

Prosecutors claimed Hobson (pictured) racked up a £116 bill consuming eight to 10 pints of Peroni and eight tequila shots over six hours before calling his girlfriend on Facetime while behind the wheel 

Mr Abbas’s family paid tribute in a statement, saying: ‘Malik is from Pakistan and his family – mam, dad, brother and sister are still living in Pakistan. He moved to the UK in 2013 to support his family in Pakistan.

‘Malik’s mother has arthritis and his father has a heart condition, his brother has severe disabilities and is unable to speak or hear, so Malik would send money to Pakistan as their only form of support. They are unable to work and support themselves now that he has passed.

‘Malik was arranging for his younger sister to come to the UK for her studies. He had always looked after everyone.

‘He had many plans and goals to achieve and was a very hardworking, honest person. No-one and nothing can fill the gap which he has left in our hearts and our family owing to his tragic death. Malik was brought back to Pakistan to be with his family.

‘As a family our hearts have been broken and we will never get over this.’

The court heard after the crash the defendant was taken to James Cook University Hospital with several fractures. Due to Hobson’s condition a blood test to detect alcohol and drugs was not taken until 3.13am the following day.

The sample revealed a reading of 147 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. He had previously received blood transfusions prior to the test.

The legal limit is 80. The analysis also revealed prior use of cannabis and THC.

In a police interview on June 8, last year, the defendant said he had no memory of the crash and couldn’t remember his telephone pin number which had been requested to check his call history. 

He expressed ‘remorse’ in interview and entered a guilty plea to causing death by dangerous driving on February 3 at Teesside Crown Court.

In mitigation, his barrister, Richard Hermann, said the defendant spends his days ‘wishing he could swap places’ with Mr Abbis and ‘wishes he’d died instead’. The court also heard he now has physical and mental health difficulties after the crash.

Tests on Hobson later found he was well over the drinking limit. Pictured: Debris from the crash following the fatal smash on Dixons Bank, Middlesbrough

‘A good man lost his life’

The Recorder of Middlesbrough, Judge Paul Watson, said it was some of the worst driving he had seen adding: ‘As a result of your blatantly bad driving, excess alcohol and disregard for other road users a good man lost his life.’

Following the verdict, senior investigating officer, Detective Chief Inspector Peter Carr, said: ‘Malik Ameer Abbas was tragically killed as a result of James Hobson’s dangerous driving. Hobson had been speeding and his vehicle was on the wrong side of the road when he hit Mr Abbas’ vehicle head on.

‘We hope that today’s sentence brings some form of comfort to Mr Abbas’ family, who have deeply felt his loss. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

‘James Hobson will now spend a significant time behind bars, having suffered serious injury himself as a result of the collision he is very lucky that he too did not lose his life. Unfortunately Mr Abbas’ family now have to live without their loved one for the rest of their lives as a result of Hobson’s actions.’

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