A speeding driver who forged documents and concocted false identities in attempts to throw police off the scent has been jailed. Harrison Randall, 29, was said by a judge to have taken 'crazy' measures to avoid prosecution after he was caught going 105mph on a motorway.
As he was jailed for 12 months, Randall was told by the judge that his punishment would have been far less severe had he been honest from the outset. The car, which belonged to Randall, was recorded zipping along the M27 near Southampton at 105mph in November 2023, Southampton Crown Court heard.
Prosecutors said Randall received a letter from the police, but he sent it back under the name Markus Augustine, who he claimed had been driving the car at the time. Police investigated, but found there was no record of that person existing. When his lie was rumbled, Randall changed his story to claim his car had actually been at the garage at the time, so it couldn't have been him driving it. He backed this up with a forged email receipt from DNA Autos, which included another fake person taking responsibility for any damage or speeding penalties incurred.
However, the bungling driver marked the receipt as being from a location where DNA Autos does not operate. Randall is currently serving a four-year prison sentence at HMP Aylesbury for his part in a criminal gang that targeted and burgled Co-ops across the country, through which they stole £450,000 in cash. He has three convictions for eight offences, including driving offences.
David Gottlieb, mitigating, said: 'He accepts that this is a very serious offence. We have seen positive change in him, and he is committed to making positive changes to his life.' Judge Gary Lucie said: 'He has got a troubling record of driving offences. They are pretty much on every single thing he's got. It is crazy what he has done as a result.'
Randall, who was charged with attempting to pervert the course of justice and two charges of using a false instrument with the intent that it be accepted as genuine, was sentenced to 12 months in prison, which will be added to his current sentence. He is also banned from driving for 26 months, so that he will still have at least eight months disqualified by his release.
Speaking after sentencing, Police Staff Investigator Paul Harrison said: 'Harrison Randall repeatedly lied and made efforts to deceive police and the courts to evade punishment for a speeding offence. His deception caught up with him, and he has now been jailed for his actions, with the sentencing judge pointing out that had he accepted his involvement in the speeding offence from the outset, he would have faced a much less severe penalty. Dangerous driving habits such as speeding are taken seriously by police to ensure road users are safe. However, let this be a warning to those who choose to lie and deceive the criminal justice system that you can land yourself with a criminal record and a jail sentence.'
