Teen drove stolen Range Rover wrong way through tunnel before causing head-on crash with van

Johal Rathour ran away from the scene after the crash but was arrested a short time later
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A teen joy rider who drove a stolen Range Rover the wrong way through a tunnel and smashed head on into a Mercedes has been locked up for four years.

Footage shows the reckless 18-year-old driving along in the stolen Range Rover shortly before he smashed straight into a Mercedes van.

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Johal Rathour caused shocked drivers to swerve out of the way as he sped through the Blackwall Tunnel tunnel, under the Thames in London, at 4.22am on 6 August 2021.

The crash caused a whopping £80,000 worth of damage to the van and stolen motor.

Johal Rathour ploughed into a Mercedes van. Credit: Met PoliceJohal Rathour ploughed into a Mercedes van. Credit: Met Police
Johal Rathour ploughed into a Mercedes van. Credit: Met Police

Teen fled the scene of the crash

It also led to a loss of £585,000 in revenue for Transport for London, for having to be shut the tunnel for more than two hours during rush hour traffic.

Rathour ran away from the scene of the crash, but was arrested a short time later after officers forensically identified him and tracked his mobile phone.

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After he was charged with the offences, Rathour, of Bridge Road, Grays, Essex, failed to attend court.

He was subsequently tracked down and arrested by officers from the Met’s Road and Transport Policing Command in January this year.

Johal Rathour, 18, of Grays, Essex, has been jailed for four years. Credit: Met PoliceJohal Rathour, 18, of Grays, Essex, has been jailed for four years. Credit: Met Police
Johal Rathour, 18, of Grays, Essex, has been jailed for four years. Credit: Met Police

PC Adam Lamb, the investigating officer, said: “Rathour was guilty of an incredibly dangerous piece of driving and it was a miracle that nobody was seriously injured.

“Watching the video of him driving the wrong way through the tunnel is very distressing as it seems inevitable that a fatal collision would happen.

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“As well as the damage to the stolen vehicle and the van he collided with, Rathour also disrupted and delayed the journeys of thousands of people using Blackwell Tunnel on the day of the crash.

“I am glad that he has faced justice for his actions and will not be able to drive on the roads of London for many years.”