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Texting peer in death crash is jailed for danger driving
Paul Cheston, Courts Correspondent25.02.09
LABOUR peer Lord Ahmed was jailed for 12 weeks today for sending and receiving text messages shortly before a motorway accident left a man dead.
Lord Ahmed pleaded guilty at Sheffield crown court to dangerous driving on the M1 near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Christmas Day 2007.
In jailing the life peer Mr Justice Wilkie accepted the text messaging had finished and played no part in the fatal accident.
But the sentence is a severe embarrassment to Justice Secretary Jack Straw who is considering kicking peers out of the House of Lords if they are convicted of criminal offences, following claims that Labour peers had accepted money to change legislation.
Mr Straw has indicated that measures to exclude peers could be introduced before the next general election.
Sentencing Lord Ahmed, the judge said: "I have come to the conclusion that by reason of the prolonged, deliberate, repeated and highly dangerous driving for which you have pleaded guilty, only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified."
Police had established no link between the texting and the crash but the judge said: "It is of the greatest importance that people realise what a serious offence dangerous driving of this type is."
In addition to the 12-week sentence, the judge imposed a one-year driving ban and ordered the peer to pay £500 prosecution costs. The peer stared straight forward in the dock as the judge passed sentence.
The court had heard that Lord Ahmed had driven onto the M1 at Dewsbury in the early evening. He then exchanged a series of five text messages with a journalist, all of which were described as substantial, rather than a few words.
The judge said the exchange of messages amounted to a conversation as the peer was travelling at about 60mph over a 17.8-mile stretch of the southbound carriageway.
Two minutes or nearly two miles after the messages ended Lord Ahmed's Jaguar ran into an Audi, killing its driver, Martyn Gombar, 28, who had crashed minutes earlier and is thought to have been trying to retrieve his mobile phone from the vehicle.
The court was told that subsequent tests showed father-of-two Mr Gombar had been drinking and crashed his car into the central reservation, spinning it round. As Lord Ahmed approached the Audi, it was facing the wrong way, straddling the two outermost lanes in total darkness. The court heard that another car clipped its wing mirror and a further vehicle had taken such drastic avoiding action that it also collided with the central reservation.
Jeremy Baker QC, defending, pointed to the peer's attempts to help Mr Gombar and how he warned other motorists about the accident at some personal risk to himself.
Mr Baker described how the defendant came to Britain as a child speaking no English but built up a successful business and political career before he was made a life peer. The barrister said his client provided an important function for the country, particularly in the field of inter-faith relations.
Lords who fell foul of the law
■Lord Watson of Invergowrie was jailed for 16 months in September 2005 after he tried to set fire to a hotel in Edinburgh in a drunken spree.
■Tory Lord Archer served four years for lying when he sued the Daily Star in 1987 for linking him to a prostitute.
■Lord Black of Crossharbour, who sat as a Tory, is in a Florida prison after looting his Hollinger International newspaper publishing empire.
■Labour hereditary peer Lord Montagu of Beaulieu was jailed in 1964 for "conspiracy to incite certain male persons to commit serious offences with male persons", which he denied.
Reader views (20)
In the same piece of news this evening a man in Baghdad got 3 years for throwing a pair of shoes and the Lord's sentence was reduced to 6 weeks..quite unbelievable really. I feel for the grieving relatives when they hear this news.
- Lynne D Martin, Watford
I would ask the question "Why was he doing 60mph in the outside lane of the motorway"? I think there has been a bit of a cover up here.. I find it absolutely disgusting that anybody can get 12 weeks in prison for driving into a stationary car and killing somebody. I know the road was dark and the car was facing the wrong way round, but surely Lord Ahmed had his lights on and if he had been watching the road he would have been able to see an obstruction in his path....it is a fairly straight road after all!
- Bb, S.E London
I fail to see what bearing Ahmed's upbringing and achievements should have on his sentence. If it was a non-policitian in the dock, is Ahmed's barrister suggesting that they should get a longer spell in prison as they do not contribute as much to society? Surely it is time that crimes had defined penalties, rather than the random sentences that continually get handed out for the same criminal offences.
- Idontbelieveit, London, UK
Should have been banned from driving for life!
- Alan, Chigwell. UK
He is a member of Gordon Brown Labour Party. As a member of the political elite is therefore a member of a different class, and different rules apply.
- Ian, Reading, England
He was never going to get a proper sentance for this, they would be too scared of the consequences. He is bound to have friends in high low places.
- Sylvia, Epping Essex
The Portugese lorry driver recently got less, because he was sentenced on the lesser, careless driving. I for one will be writing to the Lord Chancellor and Jack Straw to have this sentence reviewed.
- Crm, essex
12 weeks is really 6 weeks, rather pointless really. As we see more and more deaths as a result of people driving and texting, I would like to see this being made a far more serious offence. I suppose he will get the special treatment afforded Lord Archer.
- Mustafa Krhapp, London SE
Rexie, London
You have hit the nail on the head, my friend. IT TAKES TIME TO COMPOSE A TEXT and if the phone was switched off prior to the message being sent, would there be any evidence? We can only accept his word that he wasn't composing another text. Yeah, right. Would you believe a word anyone connected to the NuLabour government says?
- Saxon, Cowes UK
I agree with Adam this man is a disgrace and the sentence is a Joke, The same prison as Lord Archer I suppose. The Law in this Country is a joke.
Lord,,, would you toff your cap for a man like this.
- Jon Nemo, Llanelli. UK
Using GPS is almost as bad. Isn't changing a CD or smoking also dangerously distracting? The trouble is, reading texts, is very tempting...but how awful that it should result in death...
- Jessica, london
Strip Ahmed of his peerage, expel him from NuLabour and ban him from public office. This man is a disgrace. And so is the 12 week sentence.
- Adam, Harrow, UK
"Two minutes or nearly two miles after the messages ended Lord Ahmed's Jaguar ran into an Audi".
The thing about text messages, is that they take several minutes to compose and next to no time to send or read. I suppose we must take Lord Ahmed's word that he wasn't composing another message when he ran into stationary traffic.
- Rexie, London
I just do not understand this, what is the difference in killing someone with a knife/gun or a motor vehicle?
Texting whilst driving is proven here to be as dangerous and life threatening as walking the streets with a loaded weapon, 12 weeks for a man's, nae a father and husband's life is a disgrace.
Lord or not, ethnic or not, he has killed. That alone should carry more than a minimal fine, minimal ban and six weeks (served) in prison.
- Adam Howell, Dover, Kent
Is this the kind of 'equality' you want Harriet Harperson? Is the the kind of 'justice' you represent Jack Straw? Is this the 'openness' you promised Gordon Brown? Is this what you think brings 'communities' together Hazel Blears? You have all treated us all with contempt for over a decade, your time will come.
- Roger, Surrey
So M'lud was found not responsible for the death of Gombar who had earlier crashed his vehicle into the central reservation, later returning to retrieve a mobile phone.
But instead was sentenced to 12 weeks for using a mobile phone while driving the car under the speed limit, the crime of "dangerous" driving. It does not say what was "dangerous" about it.
So he collided with Gombar but that was not dangerous driving. But texting on the phone was "dangerous" driving of sufficient seriousness to capture a custodial sentence.
Err right .................
- Bruno, Cumnock
Very lenient sentence for a "prolonged" piece of dangerous driving!
- A. Richardson, Sheffield UK
12 weeks for killing a young person?? It's a disgrace.
- Sol, Scotland
I'm shocked and furious that this so called 'Lord' has only received 12 weeks imprisonment for killing a stationary driver who leaves behind a wife and 2 children.
- Pete, Barnstaple
12 weeks is not much for a man's life. Is it the Lord thing? Expect discrimination accusations soon.
- Fred, Horsham
