Learner Driver Drove Mercedes at 140mph in Police Chase

Hamza Pandor, 23, of Leicester has avoided a jail sentence after pleading guilty to dangerous driving on Saturday, August 18, 2018, at Leicester Crown Court.

The learner driver also pleaded guilty to having no insurance of licence during the incident.

The chase happened in the early hours on Thursday, June 28, 2018.

Police became alerted to Pandor’s dangerous driving when officers in an unmarked car on the northbound carriageway of the M1, near Markfield, were overtaken at “very high speed”.

They followed at 130mph but the learner driver was still pulling away.

Pandor, along with two passengers, went along the A50 city-bound dual carriageway at over 100mph, in a 40mph zone, despite the flashing police lights.

The Mercedes reached 140mph in a 50mph area after the Bradgate Quarry roundabout.

Police was still unable to keep up with the learner driver.

Mark Van der Zwart, prosecuting said: “Other officers were contacted to try and assist in bringing the situation to a stop.

“The defendant went through a red traffic light but then he pulled over, shortly before a stinger was due to (be) activated.”

“His demeanour, when in the company of officers, was that he found the whole thing amusing.”

“He is a provisional licence holder.”

The court heard that the unnamed person who hired the Mercedes told police he trusted the learner driver, his friend with the key.

He did not intend he should drive the vehicle and first knew of Pandor’s dangerous driving when officers informed him of the incident.

Sentencing, Judge Ebraham Mooncey said: “Your driving on that night was shocking.”

“No-one was injured and there’s no evidence other car drivers had to move out of the way for you or anything of that nature.”

“But you were driving at huge speeds.”

John Hallissey, defending Pandor, said: “He didn’t find it amusing afterwards, he told the officers ‘I knew the GTi behind me was a police car.

“There’s not a great deal I can say about the driving that would make it any better.”

“He genuinely regrets the way he behaved.”

“It’s not accepted a friend asked him to look after the key; the person who hired the car allowed him to drive the car.”

“He shouldn’t have driven it, but he wanted to show off in a fancy car.”

The Court heard that Pandor dropped out of a mechanical engineering course, but since worked as a taxi dispatcher.

He also had been voluntarily helping out at a shisha bar and was due to begin an unpaid internship which could lead to full-time employment.

Although the maximum sentence for dangerous driving is two years, the learner driver was given an eight-month sentence, which was suspended for 20 months.

Judge Mooncey said: “The maximum sentence for dangerous driving is still two years and it would usually have to involve other elements and not just speed.”

“This was speed with none of the other features one commonly sees.”

“Custody is warranted, given the sheer speeds, and there has to be a deterrent element so others don’t decide to drive like that.”

“You’re very fortunate you’re not walking down the back stairs (into immediate custody) today.”

Along with the suspended jail sentence, Pandor was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

He was banned from driving for two years and will have to pay £650 court costs.

In 2017, a Bradford man was jailed for six and a half years for two dangerous driving charges as well as possessing Class A drugs.