Driver jailed for speeding at 137mph in Hatfield

A driver caught speeding out of a tunnel at 137mph (220km/h) told police he was late for the cinema.

Azzedin Khan, 33, from London Colney, in Hertfordshire, was caught exiting the Hatfield Tunnel on the A1(M) on 9 November last year.

St Albans Crown Court heard he was driving so aggressively police thought the vehicle must be stolen, but Khan said he was about to miss a film.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and was jailed for six months.

Prosecutor Stefan Weidmann told the court that Khan's dangerous driving had been "egregious".

"He drove at astonishing speed, undertaking other cars and committed a blatant transgression of a red light," he said.

Mr Weidmann said an officer in an unmarked car saw Khan's Range Rover driving so aggressively along the A414 at about 20:45 GMT that he thought the driver had stolen it or had been involved in a burglary.

The officer followed the car northbound up the A1, recording Khan's speed at 137mph, in wet conditions, as he exited the Hatfield Tunnel.

Being late for the cinema was a "staggering explanation", the prosecutor added.

Khan had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, and his defence solicitor told the court her client was "extremely remorseful".

Jailing him for six months, Judge Richard Foster said: "You were driving your expensive leased Range Rover in a most dangerous manner.

"The risk of someone being harmed was extremely high. A custodial sentence is inevitable."

Khan was also banned from driving for two years and three months, and ordered to take an extended retest.

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