A motorist who drove at up to 128mph on the A9 in Perthshire when being pursued by police has been sent to prison for five months.
Perth Sheriff Court heard on Wednesday how Asar Khan (26), of Blackburn, Lancashire, had driven from England on October 2 and claimed he received a phone call from his partner saying their daughter was ill and had been taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Khan was pursued by police from Central Scotland in his Volkswagen Golf R32, which has a 3.2 litre engine, and then later from Tayside Police, and ignored them chasing him with their blue warning lights on.
Depute fiscal Robbie Brown told the court the first incident occurred at midnight near the Stirling services when police on patrol noticed Khan speeding. The officers activated their lights, but the accused took off,” said Mr Brown. “He drove 94 miles in 50 minutes, driving at an average of 112mph.”
Mr Brown said that at one point Khan lost control of his car as he entered a roundabout and spun round 90 degrees, before managing to gain control and continuing at speed.
“The accused drove up to 100mph and officers from Central Police were in pursuit of him, but they could not continue safely,” he added. “The accused later drove through two red lights at the Inveralmond roundabout and continued up the A9, travelling at high speeds.
“He was swerving on the road, and near Bankfoot a car had to mount an embankment at the side of the road to avoid colliding with him after he had overtaken a car.”
The court heard police caught up with Khan near Dalwhinnie when he ran out of petrol.
Mr Brown said, “The accused drove through various junctions and hazards when anything could have happened.”
Solicitor Rosie Scott, defending, said her client had received a phone call from his partner telling him their daughter was ill and had been taken to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
“He panicked when he saw the police’s blue lights,” she said. “He accepts he travelled from England fairly quickly and knows his actions were wholly inappropriate.”
Khan admitted that on October 2, on the M9 motorway near Stirling, he failed to stop his car while being required to do so by uniformed police officers from Central Scotland Police’s road policing unit. He also admitted that on the same day, on the A9 Inverness road near Stirling and Dunblane, he drove a car dangerously and, between Dunblane and Blackford, drove at excessive speed up to and including 128mph, and lost control while negotiating the Keir roundabout at Dunblane. He further admitted that between Blackford and Perth he drove at speeds exceeding 100mph on the A9 dual carriageway towards Perth while passing various junctions and grade-separated junctions, and at Inveralmond roundabout at Perth he failed to stop at two red traffic lights. He also admitted between Perth and Dalwhinnie, he drove at speeds of up to 128mph past lay-bys and junctions, and swerved on the roadway, while two miles north of Bankfoot he overtook vehicles in the face of oncoming traffic on a single carriageway road, forcing one driver to take evasive action to avoid a collision.
Sentencing Khan, Sheriff Michael Fletcher said, “This is very serious — a very bad piece of driving especially as it was in the dark when dangers must have presented themselves at that speed. At least one car was forced to mount the road to avoid colliding and you also lost control of your car at a roundabout.”
Khan was admonished on the first charge, but given five months imprisonment on the remaining charges, banned from driving for four years and ordered to resit the extended driving test.