Teen jailed for running over Dubai policeman while texting at the wheel

AA, 19, fled the scene after smashing into HM, a police corporal, at 80kph. He claimed he left because he needed to retrieve his licence from home.

DUBAI // A teenage driver who ran over a policeman while texting on his phone was jailed for a year yesterday.

Emirati A?A, 19, fled after hitting H?M, 23, a police corporal, at 80kph. He claimed he left to fetch his licence from home.

The officer suffered a fractured leg, bruising and a bloody nose.

“I was afraid that having no licence with me would put me in trouble with police, so I rushed home to get it,” the teenager said. “Then when police called me, I went to the station.”

He was driving a Range Rover he had rented 10 days before the accident, which happened on August 24 last year, near Dubai Islamic Bank in Al Qusais.

“I was busy with my BlackBerry Messenger instead of focusing on the road when suddenly a man came out from between the cars on the side of the road,” the teenager said. “I tried to avoid him and hit the brakes but I couldn’t and hit him.”

The Range Rover then crashed into a parked car. The police officer said the teen was speeding.

“I had just parked my car and walked towards the road to cross to the cafe on the other side when I heard a car squealing as it entered the road speeding,” the policeman said.

He said he had no time to step aside out of the way of the car.

“I was thrown about 4 metres, but was still conscious when I saw the driver coming towards me again, so I ran and hid between the parked vehicles,” the policeman said.

He said the teenager had threatened him after being charged over the incident.

“A month later, he called me and spoke to me in a threatening tone saying that if he went to jail, once he is out, I would know that what happened to me is nothing compared to what will happen later,” said the policeman.

The Misdemeanours Court convicted the teenager of assaulting the safety of others.