A reckless BMW driver who filmed himself reaching a staggering 191mph on a motorway before posting footage of his dangerous driving online has been jailed. Connor Charlton recorded the speedometer of his £90,000 BMW X3M as he tore along roads in West Yorkshire at extreme speeds. Footage showed the 32-year-old weaving through traffic at speeds of around 160mph, while another clip captured him accelerating from a red light to 157mph. In separate footage, a friend filmed Charlton “drifting” the powerful SUV around a roundabout. One alarming near-miss showed Charlton pulling out in front of a white van, causing a passenger to shout: “Woah, woah, woah,” before laughter could be heard inside the vehicle. Charlton’s driving eventually caught up with him after he was involved in a crash in September 2023. Police seized the BMW and began examining the vehicle and his electronic devices. Investigators discovered a note on Charlton’s phone containing what prosecutors said was a fabricated account of the collision. It falsely blamed another driver who Charlton claimed had fled the scene. Data recovered from the BMW’s onboard computer provided further evidence of his driving. The court heard the vehicle had been driven at speeds exceeding 107mph on eight separate occasions during the previous year. Charlton, of Hunslet, was subsequently charged with 10 offences of dangerous driving and four counts of perverting the course of justice. The perverting the course of justice charges included arranging for other people to take penalty points on his behalf. He admitted all of the offences at Leeds Crown Court. The court also heard Charlton, a father-of-two who plays as a striker for Nostell Miners Welfare FC, had two previous convictions unrelated to driving. They included a conviction for ABH in 2019 after he punched a man during a five-a-side football match in Wakefield. Charlton was sentenced to four years in prison and disqualified from driving for four years and seven months. He will also have to pass an extended driving test before he can legally return to the road.
Originally published by UKNIP.
