A ‘reckless’ motorist who reached speeds of 100mph before ploughing his BMW into pedestrians then claimed he had been driving safely has been jailed for 15 years.
Bilal Tahir lost control of his X5 SUV after hitting standing water on the M20 near West Kingsdown, Sevenoaks, in Kent nearly four years ago.
He then crashed into three people – Dr Habiba Hajallie, who got out of her car after it aquaplaned and ended up facing the wrong direction on the hard shoulder, and fellow drivers Lisa Webber and Mark Heap, who came to her rescue.
Both Dr Hajallie and Ms Webber suffered horrific injuries and died at the scene in October 2022.
Mr Heap survived but was left seriously hurt.
Tahir, 29, stopped at the scene and told police he had been driving with ‘due care and attention’. He said he had not been speeding.
However, officers from Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit found, through vehicle and mobile phone data, that he had continuously been speeding throughout his journey.
The motorist had even hit speeds of more than 100mph within a mile of the incident.
Bilal Tahir was driving at 100mph in the moments before he crashed his BMW
He initially claimed he had not been speeding
Tahir has been sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison
The three victims were stood on the side of the M20 before Tahir crashed into them. Two of them died. They are pictured moments before the collision.
Five seconds before the collision, Tahir had been travelling at 98 mph when it is thought he lost control after hitting standing water, police said.
Tahir, of Welling in south east London, admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving earlier this year.
He was sentenced at the Old Bailey to a total of 15 years’ imprisonment today.
He will also be disqualified from driving for 16 years.
Kent Police said this was the first time the force had used GPS data in court for a collision case.
Detective Constable Jim Galbraith, the investigating officer, said: ‘The deaths of Dr Habiba Hajallie and Lisa Webber, and the significant injuries caused to Mark Heap are a tragedy caused by 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 of his actions until the weight of evidence against him led him to enter a guilty plea.’
