Banned Driver Attempted To Avoid Police By Going 115mph In 30mph Zones

Banned Driver Attempted To Avoid Police By Going 115mph In 30mph Zones
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A banned driver has been caught on camera reaching speeds of 115mph in 30mph zones as he tried to evade police through busy city streets.

Kamar Farooq travelled at almost four-times the legal speed limit on roads in Birmingham and Solihull in an £85,000 BMW M3, West Midlands Police (WMP) said.

His high-speed journey, some of it also on the wrong side of the road, was captured on police dash-cams and by the force helicopter before ending when he hit a traffic island and smashed into a car at a petrol station.

The 30-year-old, who was already banned from driving when he sped off from a police traffic stop on September 23 last year, was jailed for two-and-a-half years at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday, WMP said.

After he crashed in Chester Road, Castle Bromwich, he jumped into the back seat alongside two male passengers and claimed not to have been the driver.

But CCTV from earlier in the evening showed the BMW’s driver wearing clothes that matched his and a jury found him guilty of dangerous driving and driving while disqualified, the force said.

As well as his prison term he was banned from driving for 10 years.

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Dash cam footage of Kamar Farooq’s 115mph drive (West Midlands Police/PA)

PC Robert Lattimer, from WMP roads policing unit, said: “This was reckless driving by someone who should not have been behind the wheel.

“Officers had suspicions around the vehicle and tried to pull it over; but Farooq failed to stop and hit speeds of 115mph in 30mph zones.

“He tried to deny being the driver despite our investigations which secured such strong evidence against him.

“This was a high performance vehicle and the outcome could have been much worse. He now faces a long time behind bars rather than behind the wheel of a car.”