Woman avoids jail after injuring man in 120mph M65 crash

Nashaat Ali, 39, of Fitzroy Grove, East Kilbride, appeared before Preston Crown Court [1] charged with one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one count of dangerous driving. Both offences related to an incident on June 11, 2023, when Ali, who previously lived in East Lancashire before moving to Scotland, drove an Audi Q5, which she had leased for the day, at speeds of 119mph on the M65 near Junction 6 for Rishton [2]. Peter Wilson, prosecuting, said that having reached this speed, Ali activated the brakes and the vehicle's wheels locked.

After she lost control of the two-tonne SUV, it swerved and struck the central reservation barriers before rebounding into the carriageway and colliding with a Nissan vehicle. David Taziker, the driver of the vehicle, suffered a bleed on the brain and soft tissue injuries to his neck, arm and the right side of his face. As a result of his injuries, he had to spend eight days in hospital, and still, more than two years later, suffers from spinal pain.

Judge Richard Gioserano said: "It is hard to believe that you could have so blatantly disregarded the safety of other road users and driven at no less than 119mph. "The speed limit is 70mph. That is usually enough for some people, but that wasn't enough for you.

"You went through 70, you went through 80, you went through 90, you went through 100, and you went through 110 and kept going until you were travelling at 119mph. "Rarely have I seen such a blatant disregard for the safety of other people, and what for? "Were you on the way to a hospital emergency?

No. Were you on your way to any kind of emergency? No.

"You showed an utter disregard for the safety of others and treated a public highway like your own private speedway." Helena Williams, offering mitigation, said Ali accepted full responsibility for the crash and that "there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think about the case". Since the incident, Ali was said not to have driven because she didn't want to put herself in that position again.

Additionally, Ms Williams said that the defendant had recently undergone IVF treatment, which she had to complete before turning 40 - something that would be impossible should she go to prison.

Judge Gioserano added: "You are now 39 years of age, you are not just a woman of previous good character in the sense of not having a criminal record, but you are a woman of positive good character. "I have read many character references, and many speak of your positive qualities, and they will find this hard to believe.

"I have to take account of genuine remorse. "I also have to take into account the delay that there has been here, for some reason it took until March this year for you to be charged, when your dangerous driving on the day could not have been clearer. "I don't underestimate that delay with this hanging over your head is punishment in itself."

When sentencing, Justice Gioserano said the only reason he was able to suspend the sentence was due to Mr Taziker having "not suffered significant enough harm" from the incident. He added: "It has been a very close-run thing. I have decided on balance that, notwithstanding the need for a deterrent, it is just about possible to suspend your sentence.

"The fact that this man was not more seriously hurt is a matter of pure chance, and anyone else thinking of driving like this would not be so fortunate. "As I say in your case, it is a combination of the fact that he was not hurt as much as he could have been, and the delay; no one else should think that the same will apply to them." Ali was sentenced to 16 months' imprisonment, suspended for two years.

She was also told to complete 300 hours of unpaid work and has been disqualified from driving for three years.

References

^ Court (www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)
^ Rishton (www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)
^ Woman accused of causing serious injury by dangerous driving to stand trial (www.thisislancashire.co.uk)
^ Bacup man who led police on high-speed chase spared jail due to 'significant trauma' (www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk)