A teenage driver’s been jailed for driving a stolen car the wrong way through the Blackwall Tunnel and then causing a head-on collision.

18 year old Johal Rathour of Bridge Road, Grays, was identified by officers from the Metropolitan Police’s Road and Transport Policing Command after he caused the crash in the early hours of 6 August 2021.

He was jailed for four years at St Albans Crown Court on Friday, 29 April.

No serious injuries were caused to the driver of the Mercedes van he crashed into. However, Rathour caused £80,000 of damage to the van and the stolen Range Rover he was driving and a total loss of £585,000 to Transport for London, due to Blackwall Tunnel having to be shut 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.

After he was charged with the offences, Rathour failed to attend court. He was subsequently tracked down and arrested by officers from the East Area Command Unit in January this year.

Police Constable Adam Lamb, the investigating officer in the case, 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.

“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 Blackwall 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.”

(Picture and video – Metropolitan Police)