Man jailed after driving at 135mph to evade police
A teenager from North London who drove at speeds of up to 135mph on the M11 to avoid being caught by police has been jailed.
Minad Ghafoor, of Lansbury Avenue, Enfield, was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday (May 9). He was also disqualified from driving for two years and four months.
He previously pleaded guilty at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court last December to dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.
At approximately 8.25pm on November 29, 2021 officers from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) on patrol in a marked car attempted to stop a vehicle seen driving at an excessive speed on the M11 in Redbridge, towards Cambridge.
The driver failed to stop and a pursuit was authorised with support from the National Police Air Service and Essex Police. Ghafoor continued to the Bishops Stortford area where he drove the wrong way up a one-way street. Officers ended the pursuit due to concerns about public safety.
Shortly after the pursuit ended, Ghafoor collided with a van and fled the scene on foot. The police helicopter followed his movements and guided officers on the ground to his location so he could be arrested. The driver of the van wasn’t seriously injured as a result of the collision.
Sergeant Hugh Weeks, of the MPS’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, said: “Ghafoor’s actions that night did nothing but demonstrate his selfish character. In his attempts to evade police, he risked the lives of himself and others by driving at speeds in excess of 135mph on a motorway and more than twice the speed limit in a built-up residential area.
“The collision itself occurred because Ghafoor ignored a no entry sign on a one way street. Upon seeing the damage to the van involved, I was astounded that the driver did not suffer serious injuries. It is clear that after the collision Ghafoor himself was not injured but rather than offer assistance he chose to run away.
“I would like to thank officers from Essex Police and the National Police Air Service who assisted with Ghafoor’s arrest. This outcome demonstrates the continuing success of multi-agency working between different police services.”
