A judge has today finally sentenced a “wanted” man who went on the run 16 years ago.
Naveed Ahmed had been due to face a re-trial on drugs offences back in 2000, but he failed to turn up for a hearing at Bradford Crown Court and a judge issued a warrant for his address.
Despite returning to this country at least once in the intervening years Naveed was not arrested until he walked into Huddersfield police station last month and surrendered himself.
Ahmed, now 39, of Moorside Avenue, Crosland Moor, admitted breaching his bail and he was remanded in custody last month so that the Crown Prosecution Service could review the outstanding drugs allegations.
Bradford Crown Court heard today that Ahmed did have a trial for the drugs offences, but the jury failed to reach a verdict and it was while he was waiting for his re-trial that he went initially to Pakistan.
Ahmed had already pleaded guilty to charges of possessing small amounts of cannabis and amphetamine and today prosecutor Duncan Ritchie confirmed that the CPS would not be seeking a re-trial on the other allegations of being concerned in the supply of drugs.
The Recorder of Bradford Judge Roger Thomas QC formally recorded not guilty verdicts on the outstanding charges and fined father-of-two Ahmed a total of £400 for the drugs matters which he had admitted more than a decade ago.
The judge noted that back in 2000 Ahmed had gone to Pakistan to address his own drug problem and last month it was revealed that he eventually travelled to Germany where he got married and had two children.
It is understood that Ahmed, who had been involved in “passenger screening” while working for an airline in Germany, returned to Yorkshire at the end of last year.
Ahmed, who now works as a delivery driver, was said to have returned because of his father’s illness and his barrister Daniel Thomas indicated that his client now planned to remain in this country.
Judge Thomas decided that the one month which Ahmed had spent in custody was enough to mark the breach of bail offence and he expected him to be released almost immediately.
“That brings everything to an end and you go about your life now, I hope, in a law-abiding way,” the judge told Ahmed.
