A “ridiculous” joyrider who took his mum’s car and ended up being pursued by police was stopped just yards before he ended up on the wrong side of the A27.
Andrew Smith, 22, was unlicensed and uninsured when he took his mum’s black Honda CRV for a spin around Brighton last September.
He jumped red lights, sped at 70mph in a 30mph zone and drove on the wrong side of the road several times before a police car eventually knocked him off the A27 slip road at Hollingbury.
Last week at Lewes Crown Court, he was given a suspended eight-month prison sentence after admitting dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking including dangerous driving, driving without a licence, driving without insurance and failing to stop when required by police.
Arresting officer Sergeant Colin Bowden said: “The manner of Smith’s driving was reckless, ridiculous and completely irresponsible. He showed absolutely no regard for the safety of himself or other road users, taking significant risks in an attempt to get away from us.
“This case should serve as a warning to others that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated, and we will continue to work with our colleagues, partners and the community to take action against those who misuse our roads.”
The police pursuit began on the evening of Saturday 5 September last year when officers spotted a black Honda CRV which had a marker as potentially being driven without the owner’s consent.
They indicated for the vehicle to pull over, at which point it accelerated away from them.
As well as the suspended sentence, Smith, unemployed, of Burstow Gardens, Copthorne, was also banned from driving for three years and given a three-month curfew with an electronic tag.
Can we have an end to this word “joyrider”. There is no joy in the prospect of somebody being killed by this despicable man Andrew Smith.
Smith is likely to remain unemployed. A simple check would reveal this story, which excludes him from any self-respecting payroll.