British tourist who racked up Dh175,000 in fines in Lamborghini pays speeding tickets

A British tourist who ran up Dh175,000 in speeding penalties driving a Lamborghini supercar through Dubai has agreed to pay the fine.

Farah Hashi, 25, from Newport in Wales, made headlines around the world after being caught speeding 33 times in four hours in the emirate.

The father of one hired the Dh1.3 million canary-yellow supercar from a rental company in the city on July 30.

And by the early hours of the next morning, radar traps clocked him driving at up to 230kph – nearly twice the permitted speed limit. On Thursday, Mohammed Ibrahim, who runs Saeed Ali Rent a Car, where Mr Hashi rented the vehicle, told The National he had met Mr Hashi at the police traffic department to resolve the dispute.

He said he will be able to collect his car after Mr Hashi, who has been forced to extend his stay in the emirate by more than a week, agreed to pay a discounted sum of Dh117,000.

“I met Mr Hashi at the traffic department because we wanted to bring an end to this issue before everyone breaks for Eid,” Mr Ibrahim said. “He spoke to officials and they reached a deal over the final sum of the fines.”

Mr Hashi was caught speeding 32 times on Sheikh Zayed Road and once on Garn Al Sabkha Street between 2.31am and 6.26am on July 31. Many of the fines were only minutes apart and two occurred within 60 seconds.

After the incident, the rental company received a notification for fines of Dh175,000. Fearing they would be unable to force Mr Hashi into paying the sum, the owners refused to collect the Lamborghini until the dispute was settled.

Since then, Mr Hashi has remained at the Five Palm Jumeirah Hotel and Resort in Dubai. It is thought he has been unable to leave the country after leaving his passport with the hire company as part of the rental agreement.

“I am free to collect the car and take it to a service centre,” Mr Ibrahim said.

Mr Hashi gave no indication if he planned to stay in Dubai or return to the UK, he said.

The Lamborghini Huracan has a top speed of 323kph and can accelerate from 0-100kph in 3.4 seconds. Staff at the hotel refused to confirm whether Mr Hashi had checked out.