Video: Teenager jailed for driving wrong way through Blackwall Tunnel and causing head-on crash

A teenager who drove a stolen car the wrong way through the Blackwell Tunnel and then caused a head-on collision has been jailed for four years.

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

Luckily, 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 of revenue lost 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 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.

“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.”

Pictures: Met Police