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Bilal Ahmed, 26, was seen weaving in and out of lanes and tailgating on the M602 in Salford, Greater Manchester. When police eventually pulled him over, the motorist said he was “fasting” and “wanted to get home”.

A judge yesterday said it was a “miracle” Ahmed did not crash his silver Audi A3 but she spared the man a jail term. She suspended his 12-month sentence for a year, Manchester Evening News reports.

Sentencing the driver at Manchester Crown Court, judge Elizabeth Nicholls said: “You came this close to receiving an immediate sentence of imprisonment.

“The manner of your driving put other road users’ safety in jeopardy.

“You were driving at excessive speed, always above the speed limit and you were tailgating.

“At one stage you reached speeds in excess of 120mph.

“It’s nothing short of a miracle that no accident was caused.

“I don’t accept your explanation. You were driving aggressively because that was the way in which you had chosen to drive.”

Ahmed was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

The court heard officers in an unmarked police car spotted Ahmed driving erratically on the motorway on Thursday May 6 at around 8.15pm.

For the entire time Ahmed was observed, he was travelling above the speed limit and at one point reached 121mph.

Five minutes of footage of his “aggressive” driving, filmed from the police car’s dashboard camera, was played during his sentencing hearing.

Denise Fitzpatrick, prosecuting, said Ahmed was also found not to be insured on the car.

He admitted dangerous driving and driving without insurance.

Ahmed, from Stretford, Greater Manchester, has not driven since the incident.

His lawyer, Rachel Cooper, told the court Ahmed’s now-wife had an ex-partner who he claimed had been abusive to them both.

Ahmed said he had been at her home on the day in question “calming her down” so this had “played into his state of mind.”

Ms Cooper added: “Part of his concern as he was driving was whether this man had reached out to people in the local community and that’s why he was being followed.”

She said Ahmed was not a “boy racer” and had got to the age of 26 with no driving or criminal convictions of any kind.

He was “ashamed of himself”, she said, adding that his large family were “extremely disappointed in him.”

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