A 24-year-old Nigerian, Princely Imara, has been jailed for 4 and half years, after filming a ‘selfie’ at 120mph while chasing a police car. He was also banned from driving for 4 years.
Princely started following the vehicle at high speed after he spotted it heading toward an emergency incident, with its sirens blaring, on the A20 in Ashford, Kent.
He filmed the entire incident on camera, but the footage was only discovered after he was involved in another chase – this time, along the M2 at 130mph – a month later, which resulted in a crash.
In the later incident, two officers noticed Imara drive past them at high speed. He was driving ‘erratically’, even swerving onto the hard shoulder, Canterbury Crown Court heard.
Imara then re-joined the carriageway on the M2 near Sittingbourne, Kent, behind the officers’ vehicle and overtook them. He was pulled over and spoken to by the cops, the court heard.
Simon Taylor, prosecuting, told the court: ‘The officers got out and spoke to Imara who was aggressive and obstructive.
‘His demeanour raised concerns after he stated he had recently been detained under the Mental Health Act – and he said this while still filming the officers on his mobile phone.’
While the officers carried out checks, Imara sped off, reaching a top speed of 130mph. He was finally caught after he crashed into a roadside barrier, causing £2,600 worth of damage.
The footage of the earlier incident, where the convicted drug dealer and burglar had launched into a rant about the police, was discovered after his mobile phone was seized and examined. Mara has been jailed for four and a half years on a variety of charges.
He had admitted seven drug offenses, burglary, handling stolen goods, three charges of driving dangerously, five charges of resisting a police officer and driving without a license and insurance.
Sentencing Imara, Judge Adele Williams told him: ‘This was appalling driving in which you showed no regard for the safety of others – including police officers who were doing no more than their duty.’ The defendant, of Shepway, Kent, was also banned from driving for four years.
He will have to take a re-test before he is allowed to get back behind the wheel of a car.
