A delivery driver who trashed £1 million ($1.3m) worth of supercars by speeding in one of London’s most affluent neighbourhoods has had his jail sentence suspended.
Ahmed Al Husseini, 25, was caught on camera chasing a McLaren SLR in his Audi A8 before colliding with it, flying through the air and smashing into metal railings outside a terraced home in Chelsea.
CCTV footage of the moment, which shows the Audi rebounding off several other vehicles before flipping and coming to a standstill, was widely shared online.
The collision damaged a row of cars, many of which were extremely expensive.
The defendant admitted damaging a £300,000 McLaren, a parked Porsche Cayenne worth about £100,000 and a blue Bentley worth £200,000.
Two other Porches, two Audi Q7s, a Mitsubishi Outlander and a Land Rover Discovery were also hit in the crash.
The flying Audi bore the brunt of the blow, as did the McLaren, and Mr Al Husseini was rushed to hospital.
Residents said it was a miracle no one was killed in the carnage.
The court heard that the delivery driver was hitting more than 130kph in a 50kph speed zone.
Mr Al Husseini was given a 10-month jail sentence on Wednesday, suspended for 18 months.
He was placed under an electronically monitored curfew, from 8am to 8pm, for four months.
Mr Al Husseini was also disqualified from driving for two years, with 20 days of rehabilitation activity required.
He now has to complete an extended driving test to regain his licence.
Mr Al Husseini claimed in court that he had no recollection of the incident. He had a driving licence for a year and no previous convictions.
Defence lawyer Tony Nayager said Mr Al Husseini suffered an open head wound after the accident.
“It is frankly a miracle that no one was seriously hurt, perhaps other than you," Judge Sarah Paneth told him.
“It's perhaps a credit to Audi engineering that you weren't and your passenger escaped serious injury too.
“It was quite clear that what you did was totally out of character and I accept that.
“It was your admission that you were racing effectively to try and catch up with that vehicle.
“You have suffered the consequences perhaps more than anyone else. You continue to have flashbacks and are unable to get into a car.
"It is the highly unusual circumstances in this case and the lack of all the aggravating features.”
Vikram%20Vedha
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Gayatri%2C%20Pushkar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hrithik%20Roshan%2C%20Saif%20Ali%20Khan%2C%20Radhika%20Apte%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
Results
2.15pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,950m
Winner: Hello, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihi (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m
Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m
Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m
Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m
Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
JAPANESE GRAND PRIX INFO
Schedule (All times UAE)
First practice: Friday, 5-6.30am
Second practice: Friday, 9-10.30am
Third practice: Saturday, 7-8am
Qualifying: Saturday, 10-11am
Race: Sunday, 9am-midday
Race venue: Suzuka International Racing Course
Circuit Length: 5.807km
Number of Laps: 53
Watch live: beIN Sports HD