Two men who crashed a hired Lamborghini in London's Mayfair and then lied about it have been jailed. Talal Alkassab, 39, hired the Lamborghini Gallardo in July 2015, but within hours Diyaa Lababidi lost control and crashed into shops, causing more than £100,000 of damage.
At Southwark Crown Court, the pair were each jailed for four months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. The crash happened just after midnight on 23 July 2015, with the supercar hitting several bollards before ploughing into shops.
Alkassab, of Holland Park Road, Holland Park, told his friend not to report the incident as his insurance would not cover it. Lababidi, of Praed Street, Paddington, was not insured to drive the car. Alkassab initially told police a stranger had taken his keys and crashed the car while parking it, but the story fell apart after detectives uncovered text messages between the pair.
Judge Deborah Taylor said Lababidi had been driving 'fast and negligently' and they had decided to 'tell lies about it' to try to get out of an expensive situation. Prosecutor Richard Job added that attempts were made to pay off the property owners. Civil claims are also being pursued for the damage.
Lababidi received an eight-week suspended sentence for failing to report the collision and was disqualified from driving for six months for driving without insurance. He was also ordered to pay compensation, costs, and a victim surcharge.
