"Prince" Naseem Hamed Sent to Prison

"Prince" Naseem Hamed Sent to Prison

By DHB (May 12, 2006)

"Prince" Naseem Hamed

SHEFFIELD, England -- "Prince" Naseem Hamed showed no emotion as a Judge sentenced Hamed to prison for 15 months for dangerous driving that caused a crash hitting two other vehicles and left an occupant in one of the vehicles seriously injured. Hamed was also banned from driving for four years on Friday.

Hamed plead guilty last month to Dangerous driving. The incident happened last May. Hamed driving a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren sports car that smashed into two other cars near the Hamed's home in Sheffield. The driver of one of the other cars broke numerous bones and had several operations since the crash.

In court it was revealed that Hamed was trying to impress an accociate, who was in the car with Hamed.

Hamed was traveling on the wrong side of the road at a speed of estimated to be 145 km/h when he crashed head-on into a Volkswagen Golf that emerged from a dip in the road. Hamed then hit a second vehicle, a Ford Mondeo.

According to The Press Association The court heard the driver of the Ford, Michael Wood, described Hamed's driving as "stupid, suicide, ridiculous,".

During the sentencing, Judge Alan Goldsack QC said: "I have to balance the many features in this case; the aggravating features of hugely excessive speed, a blatantly dangerous manoeuvre, your persistent disregard of the speeding laws and the dreadful consequences of this offence for your victims against the mitigating features of a guilty plea, your good character in all respects other than motoring matters and the absence of some features present in many such cases - the most obvious being drink."

The Judge added: "I have no doubt the only possible sentence here is an immediate custodial sentence. It is far too serious for anything else. Having performed that balancing exercise, there will be a prison sentence of 15 months."

DHB and wire reports