A STUDENT who brought the M3 to a standstill by hitting the central reservation whilst high on drugs has avoided jail. 

Gurrinder Kang, 21, of Summerwood Road in Hounslow, was travelling between Junctions 6 and 5 of the M3 in March when he spun his car and ended up coming to a rest in the centre lane of the northbound carriageway. 

Police officers discovered he had over four times the legal limit of Benzoylecgonine, a by-product of cannabis, as well as having cocaine and alcohol in his system, although these were below the charge levels. 

Chairman of Magistrates, Deborah Luff, said that she took into account his “future prospects in a way which we perhaps wouldn’t have done with others.” 

“You have got to understand that you have committed this offence within a year of a drink driving conviction,” she continued, saying it was “an incredibly difficult decision”. 

Kang, who appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court on Thursday wearing a navy blue suit and spoke only to confirm his details and plead guilty, was ordered to pay a £1170 fine, as well as a victim surcharge of £117 and costs of £85. 

He was also disqualified from driving for three years. 

The court had heard that Kang was driving his Vauxhall Astra from Bournemouth, where he is about to go into his final year of an Economics and Finance degree, to his parents’ address in London after having an argument with his then-girlfriend. 

He has been trying to keep the incident from his parents because of the “devastating impact” it would have, according to the defence. 

As such, he funded his legal representation himself and is already in £8,000 of debt with his insurance company regarding the incident. 

In mitigation, Mr Collingham said: “He has shown a high degree of maturity today and is remorseful. 

“He decided that the best thing was to accept responsibility of his actions.” 

The case, which was adjourned to allow Kang to see the probation service to recommend a sentence, left Ms Luff “at a loss”. 

Mr Collingham suggested that a community order would have a “devastating” impact on the 21-year-old, whilst a custody sentence would have meant he wouldn’t be able to make the start of his final year of University. 

It was also pointed out that a curfew would be impractical because of his intention to get a part-time job at a bar whilst at University.