A DISQUALIFIED lorry driver has been sent to jail after being caught speeding on the M23.

Hughie McGonnell was caught driving a 44-tonne articulated lorry at 75mph on the northbound carriageway in Crawley on Thursday, April 20.

McGonnell was going 15 miles per hour over the speed limit for a vehicle of that class.

The 25-year-old, of County Armagh, Northern Ireland, was stopped by officers from the Arundel Roads Policing Unit and on further inspection, it was discovered he was already serving a five-year driving ban for a previous drink driving offence.

The vehicle was seized, and McGonnell was arrested and charged with driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

He pleaded guilty and at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, June 14 and he was sentenced to prison for 16 weeks.

He was also disqualified from driving for a further 15 months, and ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge.