142mph driver who killed a man 'boasted' about his speed
A motorist who sped through a red light and killed another driver had boasted about clocking 142mph on a motorway the previous night.
Addil Haroon, 19, (pictured above) took a photograph of the speedometer while racing on the M62 and sent it in a Snapchat message to a friend which read: "Leeds to Rochdale 11mins catch me."
In the early hours of the next day, November 9 last year, Haroon drove his Audi A6 hire car through a red light in Bury Road, Rochdale, at more than 80mph and collided with an Audi A5 driven by 25-year-old Joseph Brown-Lartey. WORDS: PA.
Mr Brown-Lartey (pictured below) was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident at the junction of Sandy Lane.
The impact of the crash was so severe that Mr Brown-Lartey's vehicle was split in two and police said experienced traffic officers described it as the worst accident scene they had dealt with.
Today, Haroon, of Essex Street, Rochdale, was jailed at Manchester Minshull Street Crown for six years, said police, after he pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a licence or insurance.
Sergeant Paul Higgins, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "Haroon's dangerous behaviour put innocent members of the public at risk and his irresponsible actions have devastated a family.
"He was uninsured, unlicensed and driving dangerously but he paid no heed and sadly Joseph paid the price for this.
"Many of the experienced traffic officers who were first on the scene described the collision scene as the worst they've witnessed and it will stay with them throughout their time in the force.
"Haroon is off the road and behind bars and I hope today's sentence goes some small way to bring some closure for the family."
Following his death, Mr Brown-Lartey's parents issued a statement in which they said: "Joseph is a great son, brother and friend to many people with his whole future ahead of him which has been tragically and suddenly taken away from us far too soon.
"He will be sadly missed but never forgotten. Our lives will never be the same again."
Related articles
Mercedes squashed between buses in London pile-up
Young woman dead after bus and car collide in London
Pedestrian dies outside East Dulwich station after being hit by car and bus
