A semi-professional footballer from Leeds has been jailed for four years after his BMW's onboard computer logged him driving at speeds up to 191mph on motorways.
Speeds recorded over 12 months
Connor Charlton, 32, was caught out by his own vehicle's data, which revealed he broke speed limits on eight separate occasions over a 12-month period. The speeds recorded included 191mph, 186mph, and 175mph.
Charlton, who drives a £90,000 BMW X3M Competition, also filmed himself speeding, and a friend captured him on camera speeding and drifting around a roundabout.
Charges and sentencing
Prosecutors used video footage and the car's computer records to bring ten counts of dangerous driving against Charlton. He also faced four counts of perverting the course of justice for arranging for others to accept speeding penalty points on his behalf.
Charlton pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on 6 August. He received four years in prison and a driving ban of four years and seven months.
Evidence from onboard computer
West Yorkshire Police became aware of Charlton's behaviour after videos emerged on social media in 2023. Following a collision in Leeds in September 2023, officers seized his BMW and extracted data from its onboard computer.
The data revealed speeds of 160mph, 157mph, 107mph, 191mph, 161mph, 186mph, 110mph, and 175mph, recorded on the M1, M62, and A1(M) in West Yorkshire, as well as on other unidentified roads.
Videos and further offences
In footage shown to the court, Charlton could be seen weaving between vehicles before hitting 160mph, with a caption reading "Wow" and a laughing emoji. Another clip, captioned "UK No.1", captured him accelerating from a red light to 157mph.
It also came to light that Charlton had arranged for other drivers to accept speeding penalty points for £250. A note found on his phone contained a fabricated account of a crash, falsely blaming another driver.
Charlton, from Hunslet in south Leeds, has two previous convictions. He was found guilty of ABH in 2019 after punching a man during a five-a-side football match in Wakefield. He plays as a striker for Nostell Miners Welfare FC.
In mitigation, Charles Blatchford described the driving offences as "24 months of madness" and noted Charlton's positive contributions to young footballers. He also mentioned that Charlton's son has autism, cautioning that a custodial sentence could be damaging to the child.
Judge Kate Rayfield stressed that while imprisonment might be expected for a single count of perverting the course of justice, Charlton faced four counts alongside ten charges of exceptionally dangerous driving.
