Two racing motorists who caused “agonising” life-changing injuries to an off-duty policeman during an horrific collision have been put behind bars.

Sheffield Crown Court heard on December 23 how cousins Amaan Ghani and Haseeb Ashraf, both aged 20, had been racing at speeds of around 90mph on Warren Vale, at Rotherham, when Ghani’s BMW 1 Series car collided head-on with off-duty police constable Martyn Joyce’s vehicle.

Brian Outhwaite, prosecuting, said: “Ashraf’s vehicle pulled into a field and Ghani’s vehicle collided head-on with PC Joyce’s vehicle causing both cars front impact damage with both going into the air for a short momentary period.”

PC Joyce suffered a broken leg and arm, a damaged knee and memory loss and he is enduring a traumatic recovery after the collision on March 25, 2020, according to Mr Outhwaite.

Pictured is Haseeb Ashraf, aged 20, of Coleridge Road, near Eastwood, Rotherham, who has been sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court to 26 months of custody in a Young Offender Institution after he pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving

Mr Outhwaite said: “His airbag in his vehicle deployed. All he could see was smoke. He could not see out and he could not open the door and he thought the car was on fire. He described being in agonising pain.”

Ghani and Ashraf had left work at a call centre about 9pm when they began racing along Warren Vale, according to Mr Outhwaite, and overtook a vehicle on a blind bend before overtaking other vehicles and driving side-by-side.

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Mr Outhwaite said they reached estimated speeds of between 90mph and 100mph and as Ashraf pulled out in his Vauxhall Astra partially in front of another vehicle he broke heavily and was forced to pull back in which meant Ghani was unable to do the same.

Racing drivers jailed after causing life-changing injuries to off-duty police officer in South Yorkshire