BMW driver jailed four years after two women killed on M20 hard shoulder between Swanley and Wrotham
A BMW driver who was driving at almost 100mph in wet conditions seconds before hitting and killing two women on a motorway hard shoulder has been jailed, four years after the fatal crash. Dr Habiba Hajallie and Lisa Webber died in a horror crash on the M20 in Swanley, in October 2022, which also left another man injured.
Dr Hajallie, 35, aquaplaned on the coastbound carriageway near West Kingsdown, between Junction 1 (Swanley) and Junction 2 (Wrotham), and hit the barrier, damaging her vehicle. Ms Webber saw the incident take place and pulled over alongside the stricken vehicle, which was facing in the wrong direction, getting out of her car to help Dr Hajallie.
But an inquest, which was opened and adjourned on October 28 that year, heard a third vehicle then left the carriageway and struck them and their cars. Dr Hajallie suffered blunt force trauma to her torso, while Ms Webber sustained multiple injuries. Both women died at the scene.
A third person, Mark Heap, was injured in the incident after also pulling over to aid Dr Hajallie. The 55-year-old dad-of-three broke a bone in his back and one of his legs after he was pushed up against the crash barrier. At the time, the inquest into both deaths was suspended due to the ongoing criminal investigation.
Bilal Tahir, of South Gipsy Road, Welling, Bexleyheath, initially passed roadside tests for intoxication and impairment at the scene, before being released under investigation.
However, the 29-year-old was later charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit found, through vehicle and mobile phone data, he had continuously been speeding throughout his journey, hitting speeds of more than 100mph within a mile of the incident. Five seconds before the collision, Tahir had been travelling at 98mph when it is thought he lost control after hitting standing water.
He previously claimed he was driving with "due care and attention" and had not been speeding.
Tahir was at the wheel of a BMW X5 when the tragedy happened and pleaded guilty to the offences on March 23 this year. He was sentenced to a total of 15 years' imprisonment at the Old Bailey today. Tahir will also be disqualified from driving for 16 years following the sentencing, which was also the first time GPS data has been used in court for a collision case in Kent.
Det Con Jim Galbraith said: "The deaths of Dr Habiba Hajallie and Lisa Webber, and the significant injuries caused to Mark Heap, are a tragedy caused by the actions of one dangerous driver.
"Bilal Tahir was speeding recklessly that morning in appalling weather conditions where visibility was poor and rain was pooling on the carriageway. "He failed to recognise the significant risk he posed to other road users and has devastated multiple lives as a result.
"He wouldn't accept responsibility for his actions until the weight of evidence against him led him to enter a guilty plea. "Speeding risks causing death or serious injury and poor weather conditions increase this threat significantly.
"Kent Police has a zero tolerance policy for those who choose to break the speed limit and our officers will continue to crack down on drivers who endanger other road users."
Dr Hajallie, who was affectionately known as Bee, was described by her family as a "true NHS hero" who had "selflessly sacrificed" by being away from her family during the pandemic as she worked on the Covid frontline. The mother-of-one was working at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford when she died. She lived in Swanley with her fiance and their five-year-old daughter.
Dr Hajallie also worked at the Ellenor Hospice in Gravesend, with a charity spokesman previously paying tribute to them.