An “arrogant” street racer put other road users at risk “for a laugh” as he sped around roads in Accrington and Blackburn.

Umar Gul, 24, was sentenced for five counts of dangerous driving at Preston Crown Court on Thursday (January 11).

The court heard how Gul’s racing antics were a “misguided attempt to become an influencer of some sort”, and Judge Darren Preston said he was “attempting to influence others to show them how big and clever you were.”

The offences took place between May 5 and September 20, 2020 on Brown Street, Accrington; Higher Audley Street and Copy Nook, Blackburn; Accrington Road, Blackburn; Brownhill Drive, Blackburn; and the A56 southbound near Rising Bridge.

Gul committed the offences in different vehicles, namely a Mitsubishi Evo, a BMW 135, a Nissan GTR, and a Mercedes-Benz C63.

Judge Preston said on one occasion Gul had a young boy in the passenger seat and he was “holding onto him” as he was driving.

The Judge said: “You put a young boy at risk and you did it for a laugh. There is no positive motivation behind what you did.

“On May 21 you were racing another vehicle on the public street, going through a red light on the dual carriageway at massively increased speed.

“On July 6 you were skidding and sliding on wet roads in a vehicle, deliberately out of control.

“On September 20, you were again racing another vehicle, hitting speeds of over 100mph.

“This was persistent and a quite deliberate attempt to endanger other road users.

“You plainly think you can just do what you like – drive in a way that puts others at risk.

“You were already under investigation for drug driving at the time of these offences. You ignored it because you are that kind of arrogant young man.

“You need, frankly, to grow up. Thankfully nobody got hurt but that is more down to luck than anything else.”

Gul, of Crossland Street, Accrington, was 21 at the time of the offences. He has previous convictions for driving under the influence of drugs, driving whilst uninsured, and driving whilst disqualified.

He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and must complete an extended driving retest upon his release.