Boy racer jailed for Sudbury crash that almost killed his friend

Court hears he ploughed into a telephone box while speeding

A speeding boy racer who nearly killed his passenger after he ploughed into a telephone box has been jailed.

Mohammed Akhtar, 23, crashed his Honda Civic Type R on Watford Road, Sudbury, while racing at more than twice the speed limit in the 30mph zone in October 13 last year.

Harrow Crown Court heard Akhtar’s passenger, a 22-year-old woman from Essex who was a student at the Harrow campus of the University of Westminster, was left in a critical condition after suffering serious brain, pelvic and other injuries.

She was rushed to Whitechapel Hospital in east London where she has since made a partial recovery but still suffers both physically and psychologically.

Investigating officers trawled through CCTV where they found evidence that Akhtar was racing another car for at least half a mile before crashing.

Forensic tests showed that he had been speeding at 64mph just before the crash and was racing between 59-63mph when he ploughed into the telephone box.

Last week, Akhtar, from Forest Gate, east London, was convicted of dangerous driving and jailed for 14 months.

He has also been disqualified from driving for a year and must re-sit a driving test before he is allowed back behind the wheel.

Det Sgt Chris Osborne of the Road Death Investigation Unit at Alperton Traffic Garage, investigating officer, said: “This is a sad case whereby a young lady suffered appalling injuries at the hands of a ‘boy racer’. Fortunately a rigorous investigation ensured that we were able to recover vital CCTV that was able to prove the danger of Akhtar’s driving that led to the collision.

“Hopefully this will serve as a warning to others that driving at double the speed limit could well end up in a prison sentence”