Own goal: Footballer Jailed After Driving at 191mph is Caught Out By His Car's Computer

A semi-professional footballer has been jailed after filming himself driving at speeds of up to 191mph.

Connor Charlton, 32, was caught driving at extreme speeds on at least eight occasions over a 12-month period, with evidence recovered from his car's onboard computer. The £90,000 BMW X3 M Competition was recorded travelling at 191mph, 186mph and 175mph, among other high speeds.

Charlton, who plays for Nostell Miners Welfare FC in the Northern Counties East League, also filmed himself speeding. On another occasion, a friend recorded him speeding and drifting around a roundabout.

Videos shared on social media, along with data recovered from the car's computer, were used by prosecutors to charge Charlton with 10 counts of dangerous driving. He was also charged with four counts of perverting the course of justice after arranging for other people to take speeding penalty points on his behalf.

Charlton admitted all 14 charges and was jailed for four years at Leeds Crown Court last week. He was also banned from driving for four years and seven months.

One video played to the court showed Charlton pulling out in front of a white van while carrying out a dangerous manoeuvre. A person in the car can be heard saying "woah woah woah" before laughing as the near-miss unfolds.

The father-of-two admitted the offences, which took place between 2022 and 2023.

West Yorkshire Police were alerted to social media videos showing Charlton driving at high speeds in 2023.

Following a collision involving Charlton on South Accommodation Road in Leeds in September 2023, officers seized his BMW and downloaded data from its onboard computer.

The information showed the car had been driven at speeds including 160mph, 157mph, 107mph, 191mph, 161mph, 186mph, 110mph and 175mph.

The court heard some of the offences took place on the M1, M62 and A1(M) in West Yorkshire, while other roads could not be identified.

Videos played in court showed Charlton weaving between traffic before reaching 160mph.

In mitigation, barrister Charles Blatchford described Charlton's offending as "24 months of madness".

However, Judge Kate Rayfield noted that Charlton could have faced a prison sentence for just one count of perverting the course of justice. Instead, he had admitted four such offences alongside 10 counts of extremely dangerous driving.

GV Hale