A drink driver from Brighton who went the wrong way along the A27 and who crashed into several vehicles has been jailed for a year.
Marcus Cresswell, 36, formerly of West Street, Brighton, caused chaos as he ploughed his way between two lanes of queuing traffic in a Ford Transit van.
Cresswell, previously of York Grove, Brighton, appeared to have spent two to three hours drinking on a Friday afternoon three and a half years ago.
As he left the premises, in Lancing, he reversed into other cars in the car park and, without stopping, set off on his crash-strewn trip along the A27.
He brought traffic to a standstill for several hours as the emergency services dealt with the aftermath. Members of the public chased and caught him when he fled after his final crash.
Sussex Police said: “Shocking footage shows the moment when a drink driver drove the wrong way on the A27 before colliding into several vehicles.
“Marcus Cresswell attended a premises in Lancing and consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel.
“CCTV footage showed (Cresswell) reversing into other cars in the car park before he drove the wrong way on to the A27.
“He narrowly avoided a head-on collision with another motorist.
“Cresswell then drove through two lanes of traffic on the dual carriageway, colliding with vehicles on each side.
“His appalling driving has been described as ‘dangerous and selfish’ by officers and caused the A27 to be closed for several hours.
“Sussex Police is sharing the footage as a warning of the dangers of drink driving which is one of the main causes of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“At Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday 20 May, Cresswell admitted charges of dangerous driving, failing to provide a specimen of breath for analysis, driving other than in accordance with a licence, criminal damage to a police cell and driving without valid insurance.
“He was sentenced to one year in prison and was disqualified from driving for five and a half years.
“The court was told how Cresswell, formerly of West Street, Brighton, had been seen drinking alcohol before the incident on Friday 1 October 2021.
“He had attended a premises at about 3pm and left after 6pm.
“Footage showed him colliding with vehicles in the car park before turning the wrong way into oncoming traffic on the A27.
“He veered back onto the correct side of the dual carriageway, then tried to filter down the centre of two lanes on the A27.
“Cresswell caused damage to at least 11 other vehicles.
“The collisions caused extensive damage to his van, causing the wheels to fall off.
“He then ran from the scene and was detained by members of the public in a field near by.
“When officers arrived, Cresswell claimed he had not been the driver and was in fact just in the field randomly to smoke a joint of cannabis.
“The key to the van was found on his possession and witnesses told police he was the driver.
“A can of beer was also found in the driver’s side of the van.
“In custody, Cresswell failed to provide a specimen of breath for analysis when suspected of drink driving.
“He was initially at large before being sent a postal requisition to attend court in March 2022. A warrant was issued for his arrest by Worthing Magistrates’ Court in May 2022.
“Cresswell was located in Cambridgeshire in 2023 and was due to be sentenced before Peterborough Crown Court but failed to attend a sentencing hearing.
“Another warrant for his arrest was issued in July 2024.
“He was again located and arrested by colleagues from Cambridgeshire Constabulary in May this year.
“He was remanded in custody to appear for sentencing on Tuesday 20 May.”
PC Tom Van Der Wee, from the Roads Policing Unit, said: “Miraculously, nobody was seriously injured in the collision. But it could have been much worse.
“Cresswell’s selfish and dangerous actions caused an arterial dual carriageway to be closed for several hours impacting on thousands of motorists.
“Those involved in the road traffic collision have been left severely shaken by the incident and out of pocket due to the fact he was not insured.
“It is incidents like this that make us so determined to catch drink drivers and stop them causing so much chaos on our roads.
“We are pleased that a dangerous driver has been taken off our roads and is now behind bars to reflect on his atrocious behaviour.”
