West Midlands Police have released dramatic footage of a prison escapee leading officers on a chase in a stolen Ferrari
An escaped prisoner was caught on camera as he tried to evade police by driving the wrong way down the M6 in a stolen Audi during a two-week crime spree.
Bilal Bashir, 27, escaped from prison and during his two-week crime spree he carjacked a high-performance £154,000 ($268,000) Ferrari California and stole a black Audi S5.
Officers spotted him driving the Audi along the M6 near junction 5 for Sutton Coldfield, near Birmingham, and gave chase on April 4 last year.
Bilal Bashir escaped from prison before going on a two-week crime spree. Photo / West Midlands Police
Dash-cam and CCTV footage shows officers trying to pull over Bashir before he rams their car and tries to escape despite the motorway being lined with traffic.
He eventually fled on foot but was arrested a few days later at a friend's flat.
Detectives examined his mobile phones, which placed him at the crime scenes and contained incriminating pictures of the stolen Ferrari in the days leading up to the theft.
One phone also showed Bashir flaunting a large amount of cash and a bottle of vodka the day after escaping from Hewell Prison, in Tardebigge, Worcestershire.
Last Friday Bashir was jailed for a further 10 years after he was found guilty of burglary, theft and dangerous driving following a five-day trial.
After absconding from HMP Hewell, in Tardebigge, Worcestershire he car-jacked this high performance Ferrari. Photo / West Midlands Police
Birmingham Crown Court heard Bashir absconded from prison through an exercise yard while serving four years for burglary in March last year.
Just four days later, on April 1, the black Audi S5 was stolen in a burglary at a house in leafy Dorridge, near Solihull, along with other valuables.
Three days later, the Audi pulled up outside another home in Dorridge and as the home owner arrived back three masked men dragged him out of his Ferrari and escaped.
The Ferrari was found dumped a short while later and CCTV showed two men ripping the dashboard out in an attempt to locate the tracker. Photo / West Midlands Police Facebook
Police were called and the Audi was tracked minutes later on the M6, where the driver repeatedly rammed a police motorway patrol car as he tried to evade capture.
Officers successfully blocked its path as it then tried to drive southbound on the northbound carriageway before the driver abandoned the vehicle.
Meanwhile the Ferrari was found dumped a short while later and CCTV showed two men ripping out the dashboard in an attempt to locate the tracker.
Detective Constable Darren Brown, from West Midlands Police, said after the case: "Several witnesses came forward and we had detailed descriptions as well as discarded clothing and CCTV.
The Audi on the M6 motorway trying to escape. Photo / West Midlands Police
"The Ferrari was recovered but the damage caused was estimated to be £40,000.
"An orange glove found in the centre console matched one seen worn by the Audi driver and provided a DNA match to Bashir."
Bashir, of Alum Rock, Birmingham, was sentenced to three years for burglary, six years for the Ferrari theft and 12 months for dangerous driving, all to run consecutively.
