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Texting peer's road safety pledge | |
(1 day later) | |
A peer who was jailed for sending text messages while driving on a motorway has said he wants to work as a road safety campaigner. | A peer who was jailed for sending text messages while driving on a motorway has said he wants to work as a road safety campaigner. |
Lord Ahmed, 52, of Rotherham, sent and received a total of five messages while driving along the M1 in South Yorkshire on Christmas Day 2007. | Lord Ahmed, 52, of Rotherham, sent and received a total of five messages while driving along the M1 in South Yorkshire on Christmas Day 2007. |
He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for dangerous driving, but was freed by the Court of Appeal 16 days later. | He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for dangerous driving, but was freed by the Court of Appeal 16 days later. |
Lord Ahmed said he now wanted to help road safety charities' campaigns. | Lord Ahmed said he now wanted to help road safety charities' campaigns. |
Fatal crash | Fatal crash |
He told BBC News: "As far as the road safety campaigners are concerned I hope to work with them in future because we should have road safety - I made a mistake, people make mistakes." | He told BBC News: "As far as the road safety campaigners are concerned I hope to work with them in future because we should have road safety - I made a mistake, people make mistakes." |
The peer, who returned to work at the House of Lords on Monday, said he believed many people sent and received text messages while driving. | The peer, who returned to work at the House of Lords on Monday, said he believed many people sent and received text messages while driving. |
He said: "There are people... I mean this is a busy way of life these days but it was wrong. It is wrong and I'm quite happy to go and campaign to say, 'Don't make my mistake'." | He said: "There are people... I mean this is a busy way of life these days but it was wrong. It is wrong and I'm quite happy to go and campaign to say, 'Don't make my mistake'." |
Lord Ahmed's Jaguar hit a stationary car in the outside lane of the motorway two minutes after he had sent the last of the messages. | |
The driver of the other car, Martyn Gombar, 28, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, died in the crash. | The driver of the other car, Martyn Gombar, 28, from Leigh, Greater Manchester, died in the crash. |
Police, Lord Ahmed's sentencing judge and the Court of Appeal agreed that his texting was not related to the crash and there was little he could have done to avoid it. | Police, Lord Ahmed's sentencing judge and the Court of Appeal agreed that his texting was not related to the crash and there was little he could have done to avoid it. |
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