Driver jailed for 10 years after fatal 135mph crash

A man who drove at more than 135mph before a fatal motorway crash has been jailed for 10 years.

Trad Almaghrabi, of Harlington Road, Uxbridge, Middlesex, pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and causing serious injury by dangerous driving on the M40 near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.

On Wednesday, at Aylesbury Crown Court, he was given a 10-year sentence for the first count and jailed for two years for the second, which will be served concurrently.

The 24-year-old was disqualified from driving for 11 years and eight months, ordered to pay £1,000 in costs and had to forfeit his vehicle.

Almaghrabi was seen leaving a pub in Uxbridge at 00:40 BST on 12 July where he had earlier bought alcohol, Thames Valley Police said.

His Mercedes AMG C250 collided with another car near junction two of the M40, killing the vehicle's driver Naweed Hussain, 27, who had been on his way home from a charity football event.

Naweed's front-seat passenger sustained serious injuries, including a fractured vertebrae, cracked ribs, bleeding on the lungs and an injured wrist.

Officers later confirmed Almaghrabi had been travelling at speeds between 135mph and 146mph.

Police said CCTV footage showed Almaghrabi leaving the scene on foot as he walked up the slip road towards Beaconsfield Services.

Officers added they found a Nitrous Oxide canister, cannabis and a grinder in his car which was later forensically linked to him.

Sgt Ed Crofts, from Thames Valley Police, said: "This was a truly shocking collision, and the speeds at which Almaghrabi was driving just prior to the collision beggar belief.

"The fact that he then took the cowardly decision to run from the scene shows the complete disregard that he had for the two victims in this case, leaving Naweed for dead and his passenger with extensive serious multiple injuries.

"Driving at the speeds Almaghrabi was doing had catastrophic effects, and I am satisfied that the courts have recognised the serious consequences of his actions with this prison sentence."

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