A disqualified driver who had a young girl without a seatbelt in the front seat of his car while going 100mph on the M4 has been jailed.

Sasho Yankov, 44, of Penrhiwceiber Road, Mountain Ash, was carrying six passengers with no seatbelts while disqualified and uninsured.

He appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on April 22 charged with causing a danger of injury due to the manner in which his passengers were carried, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance and excess speed. He was jailed for three months.

On August 27, 2022, at around 2.30am, Yankov was spotted driving a black Audi A4 between junctions 15 and 16 of the M4 at 103mph.

He was subsequently pulled over, where it was discovered that there six passengers in the vehicle, all not wearing seatbelts, including a girl aged around six years old sitting unrestrained on the lap of the front passenger.

It was also discovered that Yankov had been disqualified from driving previously and wasn’t insured to drive the vehicle. 

Yankov was reported to court and the vehicle seized.

Roads Policing Officer Steve Harding said: “Yankov’s actions were incredibly dangerous – the stretch of the motorway which he was seen was unlit at the time and he was driving at more than 100mph.

“If he had come across anything in the carriageway he would have had no time to react to take any kind of avoiding action.

“With the number of unrestrained passengers in the vehicle, especially the young girl in the front seat, the consequences of any kind of collision could have been catastrophic.”