Speeding driver sentenced after M20 fatal collision

A speeding driver who reached more than 100mph on the M20 before causing the death of two women has been jailed.

Bilal Tahir has been sentenced to a total of 15 years' imprisonment.

On the morning of 17 October 2022, it was raining heavily which had caused standing water on parts of the carriageway near West Kingsdown.

Dr Habiba Hajallie was driving to work on the coastbound side of the motorway between Junctions 1 and 2 when she lost control of her vehicle, which aquaplaned. She ended up on the hard shoulder with her car facing the wrong direction.

Lisa Webber and Mark Heap were in separate vehicles behind Dr Hajallie and both stopped to help. They were stood on the hard shoulder when Tahir's vehicle, a black BMW X5, crashed into them.

Both Dr Hajallie and Ms Webber were declared deceased by paramedics at the scene. Mr Heap was seriously injured and taken to hospital.

Roadside tests for intoxication and impairment were conducted at the scene which Tahir passed and he was released under investigation.

The 29 year old attended a voluntary interview at Ashford Police Station in November 2022 where he claimed he was driving with 'due care and attention' and had not been speeding.

However, officers from the Serious Collision Investigation Unit found, through vehicle and mobile phone data, that he had continuously been speeding throughout his journey, and had hit speeds of more than 100mph within a mile of the incident.

Five seconds before the collision, Tahir had been travelling at 98mph when it is thought he lost control after hitting standing water.

Tahir, of South Gipsy Road in Welling, London, was charged with two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He pleaded guilty on 23 March 2026.

On Friday 5 June he was sentenced at the Old Bailey to a total of 15 years' imprisonment. He will also be disqualified from driving for 16 years. 

This is also the first time GPS data has been used in court for a collision case in Kent.

Detective Constable Jim Galbraith, the investigating officer, said:
'The deaths of Dr Habiba Hajallie and Lisa Webber, and the significant injuries caused to Mark Heap are a tragedy caused by the actions of one dangerous driver.
'Bilal Tahir was speeding recklessly that morning in appalling weather conditions where visibility was poor and rain was pooling on the carriageway. He failed to recognise the significant risk he posed to other road users and has devastated multiple lives as a result. He wouldn’t accept responsibility for his actions until the weight of evidence against him led him to enter a guilty plea.
'Speeding risks causing death or serious injury and poor weather conditions increases this threat significantly. Kent Police has a zero tolerance policy for those who choose to break the speed limit and our officers will continue to crack down on drivers who endanger other road users.'