Banned Southam driver jailed after driving a matter of metres

At Warwick Crown Court, Dayle Crowther was jailed for six months after a judge heard he was in breach of a suspended prison sentence for the earlier offence.

Crowther, 21, of Napton Rise, Southam, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and with no insurance.

Prosecutor Iain Willis said that on April 7 a police officer was on patrol on the A423 Southam to Banbury road when he saw a red VW Golf pull off the RVS Car Sales forecourt.

It stopped a few metres along the road after Crowther saw the police, and he reversed back onto the forecourt.

The officer recognised Crowther and knew he was a disqualified driver, and when he was spoken to Crowther admitted he had been planning to drive the car back to his home.

Mr Willis said Crowther had been banned a year earlier when he was given a nine-month suspended prison sentence for dangerous driving following an incident in August 2009.

On that occasion an officer on patrol in Southam High Street at 9.45am saw a passenger in a blue Astra being driven by Crowther was not wearing a seatbelt.

The Pc decided to speak to the occupants, and followed it as it headed out of Southam.

But Crowther accelerated to 75-80mph along the 50mph twisting country road, taking bends at excessive speeds,.

Heading towards Ladbroke, after the officer had put on his siren to stop him, Crowther entered a 30mph zone on the wrong side of the road.

A short distance after that some road works were being set up, and workmen were putting up traffic lights.

Coming the opposite way past the road works was a 14-year-old girl on a horse, so a woman who was in her car ahead of Crowther, paused as she reached the road works.

But Crowther accelerated towards her, hit the car, and the woman suffered injuries including whiplash and a damaged wrist ligament.

Mr Willis added that Crowther had 17 previous convictions for driving offences.

Nick Devine, defending, said Crowther had responded well to the suspended sentence and had completed three-quarters of the unpaid work he had been ordered to do.

Just before Christmas he had got a job at RVS Car Sales, and the Golf belonged to a friend who had taken it there and had asked him to sell it for him.

But his boss wanted it removed because he needed the forecourt space, and Crowther had decided to drive it home for his friend to collect.

Crowther was jailed for three months consecutive to three months of his suspended sentence which he was also ordered to serve, and was disqualified for two years.

Judge John Phillips said: “This offence is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence is justified.”