A MAN has been handed an 11 month prison sentence after he crashed into a lorry while driving at speeds of 127mph.

Atthar Ahmed was speeding on the A3 near Ripley bypass at around 9.15 am on August 12 last year.

Footage shows the 23-year-old driving a silver Mercedes at high speed when he lost control and crashed into a lorry, ripping the tail lift from its chassis.

Ahmed received minor injuries and no one else was hurt but the collision caused significant disruption on the A3 as part of the road was closed for two and a half hours.

The speedometer on the Mercedes became fixed when the collision occurred and it read 127mph.

Immediately after the crash, Ahmed was seen running away from the scene.

With the help of the police helicopter and colleagues from the Metropolitan Police, he was found shortly afterwards in a light blue Prius, driven by his cousin.

Enquiries revealed that Ahmed had been disqualified from driving in 2019 until he passed an extended driving test, a test he has not yet taken.

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Further checks revealed that the Mercedes he was driving belonged to someone else and Ahmed did not hold the correct insurance.

He was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance and he was summonsed for the offences on January 29, 2021.

Ahmed appeared in court on Tuesday (April 20) and was sentenced to nine months in prison for dangerous driving and two months in prison for driving without a licence.

He has been ordered to pay a £150 victim surcharge and has been given six points on his licence.

Ahmed was also disqualified from driving for three years and five months after which he will be required to undergo an extended driving test.

Investigating officer, PC Gemma Morgan said: “Ahmed’s reckless driving undoubtedly endangered the lives of others, and it was incredibly lucky no one was seriously hurt in this collision.

“However, it did cause significant disruption and delays to motorists on the A3.

"Surrey Police is committed to reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads and this sentence goes to show we will not tolerate people recklessly endangering others.”

“I would like to thank members of the public for their help gathering evidence following the crash.

"We put out a witness appeal appealing for statements and dashcam footage, and the evidence the public provided played a vital part in building our successful case against Ahmed.”