Driver Caught At 140mph With Child Passenger

A motorist caught speeding at 140mph with a child passenger in the front seat has been handed a three-year driving ban.

26-year-old Mert Tanay, from Enfield, north London, was apprehended at Junction 9 on the M20 coastbound carriageway in September 2014.

When the car was pulled over, a visibly shaken six-year-old boy was sitting in the front passenger seat.

Officers in an unmarked police car had been monitoring the speed of another vehicle when Tanay overtook them in his black BMW 323 at around 90mph.

His speed soon rose to 115mph as he weaved through traffic, before slowing to 90mph and then increasingly rapidly to 140mph.

Sergeant Chris Wade of Kent's Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: "The speed and manner of Mert Tanay’s driving in this case showed a complete disregard for the safety of other road users, not to mention that of his young passenger who looked very shaken by his experience."

In addition to the ban, Tanay was ordered to perform 50 hours’ unpaid work when he appeared at Canterbury Crown Court last Thursday, having previously admitted the charge of dangerous driving.

He must also pass an extended driving test to get his licence back, pay £100 in prosecution costs and a £60 victim surcharge.

Tanay reportedly claimed he had been speeding because he was suffering from a urological complaint.

On the same day that Tanay was pulled over, eight other motorists were stopped for travelling at excessive speed.