Student filmed himself ‘driving at 100mph and was on Instagram’ before killing grandad in horror M6 crash

Ghulam Hauder, 22, killed Cliff Tamou, 58, who had broken down in the hard shoulder

14:55, 20 Jun 2025

Ghulam Hauder

A student who filmed himself 'driving at 100mph' and sent Instagram messages moments before killing a grandad-of-five on the M6 has been locked up.

'Reckless' Ghulam Hauder, 22, was behind the wheel of a grey Toyota Avensis when he hurtled into the back of Cliff Tamou's stationary HGV.

Mr Tamou had pulled up on the hard shoulder and was standing behind the motorway barrier while one of his tyres was being changed.

Speeding driver Hauder ignored warning signs alerting motorists to the incident, slamming his brakes just half-a second before crashing into his victim and killing him 'instantly'.

Investigations later revealed he had been on his phone in the lead-up to the devastating smash and was also not wearing a seatbelt, instead clicking it into place and just sitting on top of it.

Hauder, of North Street, Dudley [1], was today (Friday, June 20) jailed for nine years and four months after admitting causing death by dangerous driving.

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Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard how the collision took place on the southbound carriageway of the M6, approaching the junction 15 slip road, just before 9.55pm on February 27.

Mr Tamou had become 'stranded' and was 'fully' in the hard shoulder after suffering a 'blow out' on the attached trailer, affecting the offside middle tyre.

A tyre fitter was dispatched to the scene but could not fix the HGV immediately as it was company policy that work is only carried out once National Highways have shut lane one of the motorway.

This was explained to 58-year-old Mr Tamou who was 'fine' about it, with the tyre fitter later telling police: "He seemed like a really nice bloke."

Both Mr Tamou and the tyre fitter stood behind the Armco rail - the barrier running alongside the hard shoulder - as they waited.

Within 15 minutes, a National Highways traffic officer arrived and the lane was closed.

The tyre fitter had started fixing the issue when the traffic officer 'screamed at him something about a car', prosecutor Devans Tamakloe said.

There was then a 'very loud bang', with the HGV trailer 'bolting' forward.

The court heard how the tyre fitter noticed that the Toyota had become 'embedded' into the HGV trailer and Hauder was trapped in the driver's side of the car.

Both the tyre fitter and traffic officer 'could not see' Mr Tamou and searched for him in the area, stumbling across his body soon after and realising he was dead.

The traffic officer later recalled how the fatal crash was 'over within a blink of an eye'.

The devastated family of a lorry driver killed on the M6 have paid tribute to the "devoted" dad of six.

Pictured: Lorry driver Cliff Tamou(Image: Staffordshire Police)

A forensic collision report detailed how the motorway's 70mph limit was reduced to 50mph because the HGV was in the hard shoulder.

Ms Tamakloe said: "This restriction was clearly displayed and visible to all road users."

All the necessary safety requirements were made by the tyre fitter and the traffic officer at the scene, she said.

Hauder was not wearing a seatbelt at the time - he had clipped it into place to stop the 'chiming' but was sitting on top of it.

Police discovered outgoing Instagram messages on the convict's mobile phone, sent while he was driving.

He filmed himself while behind the wheel and there were suggestions he listened to YouTube videos through his car stereo, Ms Tamakloe said.

She added: "At the time of driving, the defendant was using a mobile phone.

"There is evidence suggesting that that practice pre-existed the 12 minutes up to the collision."

Investigations also revealed how Hauder had 'cut across' another vehicle to enter the hard shoulder and hit a traffic cone moments before the collision.

Ms Tamakloe added: "He had paid no attention to the warnings and when realising the HGV was stationary, he broke, but it was too late."

Ms Devi, defending, said Hauder was 'remorseful for his actions'.

He had been studying computer science at Birmingham [3] City University, the court heard.

Sentencing, Judge Graeme Smith said dad-of-six Mr Tamou was a 'vulnerable pedestrian' at the time of the collision as he had got out of his HGV while it was being repaired.

He said: "Mr Tamou was a friendly, hardworking, unselfish, courageous and fun-loving man.

"He was highly-regarded in the Rugby League community, and generally."

The judge said to Hauder: "Analysis of your phone found that during your journey, you had used it on a number of occasions, including taking and sharing a video.

"Some of these videos seemed to show that your speed was up to 100mph at times.

"Although there is no suggestion that any of this caused the accident, it was showing a continued disregard for the rules of the road and a course of dangerous driving before the accident."

Judge Smith said Hauder had given 'various explanations for what had happened' prior to his sentencing hearing.

He said: "Most recently, when interviewed by the probation service, you said that you were feeling dizzy and nauseous before the accident.

"There is no evidence to support that - your use of a phone before the accident is not consistent with it.

"In any event, if you had been feeling like that, you should have stopped, either on the hard shoulder or at the service station which was only a few miles before the site of the accident."

The judge added: "The data from your vehicle shows that you continued at a speed slightly in excess of 65mph.

"You then pulled sharply across the other lanes without indicating.

That caused another vehicle to brake sharply.

"You then hit a cone and narrowly missed the National Highways vehicle in the closed inner lane.

"You continued on the hard shoulder, travelling a little in excess of 50mph.

"You straightened up and brake only half a second before colliding with considerable force with the HGV.

"You maintain that you have no recollection of that moment so can offer no explanation for it.

"One possible explanation is that you were trying to undertake other vehicles in other lanes that were travelling at below 50mph.

"Another is that you decided at the last minute to exit at junction 15 and attempted suddenly to get into the inside lane.

"We will never know for sure what caused you to do this."

Hauder - who had no previous convictions - was also handed a 11-year driving ban.

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References

^ Dudley (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ Mercedes with 753,186 miles on the clock pulled over on M6 (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ Birmingham (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
^ Don't miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the BirminghamLive newsletter here (www.birminghammail.co.uk)