Semi-pro footballer caught driving at a staggering 190mph was involved in penalty-points scam
A motorist who would arrange for speeding penalty points to be shared in exchange for cash has been jailed.
Connor Charlton also lied about a crash he was involved in, while a police investigation found that he had been driving at highly-dangerous speeds himself, beyond a staggering 190 mph.
The 32-year-old semi-professional footballer would also be filmed driving at eye-watering speeds.
He admitted 10 counts of dangerous driving and four of perverting the course of justice between 2022 and 2023, appearing at Leeds Crown Court this week.
Police had been alerted in 2023 to videos on social media showing a powerful BMW X3M Competition driving at dangerously high speeds.
Following a collision on South Accommodation Road in Leeds in September 2023 involving Charlton, the police seized the BMW and downloaded information from its onboard computer.
It showed that it had been driven at speeds including 160mph, 157mph, 107mph, 191mph, 161mph, 186mph, 110mph and 175mph.
Charlton was arrested in November 2023 and he gave a no-comment interview.
Multiple videos were found showing Charlton involved in dangerous driving. Some were played to the court in which the sound of engines roaring, screeching tyres and laughing could be heard.
However, it was found that Charlton had also been chatting with drivers, arranging for others to take speeding penalty points and charging them £250.
A note was also found on his phone outlining a fabricated story about the crash he was involved in, claiming it was another driver’s fault and they had left the scene.
Charlton, of Northcote Green, Hunslet, has two previous convictions. He was convicted of ABH in 2019 after a trial, having punched a man during a five-a-side football match in Wakefield.
Charlton plays as a striker for Nostell Miners Welfare FC in the Northern Counties East Football League, according to the club’s website.
Mitigating, Charles Blatchford said Charlton’s driving offences were “24 months of madness”, because he had not been involved in similar crimes before or since.
He said there were multiple references regarding his good work with young footballers in the community.
He said Charlton’s son was also diagnosed with autism and if he were to be jailed it could have a detrimental effect.
But Judge Kate Rayfield pointed out that he would face prison with a single count of perverting the course of justice, but he faced four counts and 10 of extremely dangerous driving.