LONDON, Feb 25: Labour life peer Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham was jailed for 12 weeks by the Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday for sending text messages while driving on a motorway which is classed as dangerous driving in Britain.

The 51-year-old peer of Pakistani origin pleaded guilty to driving dangerously on the M1 near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on Christmas Day last year.

Slovakian Martyn Gombar, 28, who was living in Leigh, Lancashire, died when the peer’s Jaguar hit an Audi which had stopped in the fast lane of the motorway.

Sheffield magistrates heard how Lord Ahmed was texting while driving in the dark at speeds of 60mph and more along a 17-mile stretch of the motorway. He was handed an interim-driving ban until his sentencing.

At the last hearing, the court heard his wife and elderly mother were passengers in the car at the time of the offence.

The Audi was stationary in the fast lane of the motorway after crashing into the central reservation.

Lord Ahmed’s solicitor said he was “rendered momentarily unconscious” by the impact of the crash and suffered a very serious head injury.

Steve Smith said there was no connection between his client sending and receiving the text messages and the fatal accident.

“This man is not responsible for any accident,” he said.

He will serve half of his 12-week sentence.