Drivers used roads ‘like a race track’
Trio travelled in excess of 100mph in busy areas
FOOTAGE shows the horrifying moments three drivers, including a Rochdale man, ‘treated Manchester’s roads like a race track.’
The drivers reached speeds of more than 100mph as they went head-to-head in broad daylight.
Nabil Adil, Oliver Rothwell, and April Farnworth were spared a jail sentence on Friday, February 9, after a judge said they were ‘young people trying to make their way in the world’.
However, she called their actions an ‘egregious example of dangerous driving’, slamming their speeds as ‘terrifying’.
Footage shows the three drivers weaving in and out of traffic at excessive speeds as they travelled down Chester Road to Bridgewater Way. At one point, Adil can be seen waving out of his window as Farnworth, whose vehicle the dashcam footage was taken from, nears him at a speed of 70mph.
They can be heard laughing during the footage, released by GMP, and saying: ‘I f **** ing beat Nabil on that straight’ and ‘I think we need to start driving nicely now’ as they regularly broke speed limits in residential areas.
All three drivers were handed community orders after Judge Johnston said their actions ‘put others at a significant risk of harm’.
She added it was ‘merciful nobody got hurt’ by their ‘foolish mistake’.
“You started in the Castlefield area of Manchester in the immediate aftermath of the first lockdown, when most members of the community were still in fear at home from Covid-19 and still in the main leaving their homes only when necessary,” she said.
“By virtue of that fact the roads were quiet.
“But it also means that the members of the public with whom you could’ve come into contact with were in all likelihood key workers.”
She said she was ‘satisfied’ that as they moved onto the A56, each defendant drove at a speed ‘in excess of 100mph’ at a point.
“Mr Adil, you approach and then leave traffic lights at a terrifying speed,” she continued.
The trio were also disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Farnworth, of Lostock Road, Davyhulme and Rothwell, of Hartford Road, Davyhulme,
pleaded guilty when they appeared at magistrates court, and were handed five rehabilitation activity days and 100 hours of unpaid work.
Adil, of Moor Hill in Rochdale, pleaded guilty later into the case, and was handed 10 rehabilitation activity days and 200 hours unpaid work.
Sergeant Antony Hannon, from GMP Roads Policing Unit, said the group ‘treated our roads like a racetrack’ and ‘placed members of the public
in real danger.’
“They travelled in excess of 100mph in busy residential built-up areas, racing each other with no regard for anyone else,” he added.
“Speeding makes up one of the ‘Fatal 4’ alongside drink and drug-driving, seatbelt misuse and the use of mobile devices behind the wheel, and I would urge drivers to think about the potentially fatal consequences their behaviour can have.”