A hit-and-run driver who fled to Dubai before giving himself up has been jailed for eight years.

Faraz Ahmed, 27, of Fanshawe Avenue, Barking, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm with intent on Monday and was subsequently sentenced.

Snaresbrook Crown Court heard how a 22-year-old man was walking back from the Al Madina mosque on Victoria Road at around 2pm on September 16 last year.

Ahmed, who was driving along Fanshawe Avenue at the time, swerved his car in front of a bus on the other side of the road, mounted the pavement and hit his victim hard enough to send him flying into the air. He suffered head injuries and a dislocated shoulder.

Ahmed fled to Dubai before surrendering himself to police more than a month after the collision.

Det Con Chris Whiston said: “Ahmed showed complete disregard for the safety of those walking along the pavement. He deserves the custodial sentence for this crime.”