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Man caught driving 165mph tells court which banned him: 'Catch me if you can'

The 24-year-old was stopped in a £100,000 rented Audi R8 Spyder and says ban won't stop him hitting the roads again

Adam Withnall
Wednesday 31 July 2013 15:10 BST
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An Audi R8 Spyder, the make of car used by Mr Mahmoon to top 164mph
An Audi R8 Spyder, the make of car used by Mr Mahmoon to top 164mph (GETTY IMAGES)

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A man caught driving along a Liverpool motorway at 165mph in a rented Audi R8 Spyder has been banned from the roads for three years, but told the court: “I’m still going to drive - catch me if you can.”

Liverpool magistrates’ court heard that Shiad Mahmoon, 24, was spotted going at an average of 144mph-165mph, but likely hit a top speed that was even higher.

Officers from Merseyside police said the man, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, was driving at the fastest speed they had even recorded.

He has been ordered to £515 in costs and fines, banned from driving for three years and told he must take a driving test before he will be allowed back on the road.

But Mr Mahmoon, who is unemployed, challenged the court that he would continue to drive regardless of whether he was allowed, and after searching his pockets sarcastically said he was “about £10 short” of paying the full fine immediately, the Telegraph reported.

The court heard that Mr Mahmoon was travelling at around the speed at which a passenger jet takes off before he was stopped by police on the M62 on 26 June 2011, in a hire car worth £100,000 new.

He reportedly also had previous convictions for both driving while disqualified and driving without due care and attention.

Sergeant Mike Clarey, one of the officers who pulled over Mr Mahmood, told the Telegraph: “Travelling at such a high speed put Mahmoon in danger and also could have put other drivers in danger.

”Mahmoon showed a blatant disregard for the law even after he was sentenced.

“Our message to anyone who flouts the law to such a degree is that we will use all the technology we have available to bring you to justice.”

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