A wanted man who fled the country was left “speechless” after returning on a plane and finding police waiting for him.
Anas Bahbaishi, aged 33, bought a one-way ticket to Saudi Arabia after being charged with driving whilst disqualified.
The businessman was due to appear at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 10 May but flew out of London Heathrow four days earlier.
A warrant was issued for his arrest and Nottinghamshire Police inquiries found he had flown out to the city of Jeddah.
Officers informed Border Force and requested they be informed if he ever boarded a flight back to the UK.
On Sunday (16 July), police at Manchester Airport received a notification from Border Force that Bahbaishi, previously of Cranmer Street, Mapperley Park, Nottingham, had checked in for a flight from Jeddah to Manchester.
Nottinghamshire Police was informed and officers from the City South neighbourhood policing team travelled to the airport and awaited his arrival.
He was arrested on the plane moments after landing and transported back to Nottingham for questioning.
Bahbaishi appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court yesterday (17 July) and admitted driving whilst disqualified and uninsured. The court heard he was stopped by officers in Trowell Road, Wollaton, on 22 October last year.
He was fined £200 and disqualified from driving for 12 months. He must also pay £85 court costs and a £80 surcharge.
PC Adam Smith, who travelled to Manchester Airport with a colleague to make the arrest, said:
“When he skipped the country, we requested a marker be put on his passport so we’d be alerted if he ever returned to the UK.
“Having been alerted he had checked in for a flight from Jeddah to Manchester, and PC Darren White went straight to the airport to detain him.
“It’s fair to say he was extremely surprised when we escorted him from the plane – he was speechless.
“Once in the police car and on the way back to Nottingham, he told us he had returned to the UK for his wife’s graduation ceremony.
“But rather than attend any celebration he was hauled before a court to face the consequences of his criminal behaviour.
“I’d like to thank our partners at Greater Manchester Police and Border Force for the part they played in apprehending Bahbaishi.
“If it wasn’t for the swift coordinated multi-agency response there would have been a different outcome.”
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