Dangerous driver disqualified for 10 years after pursuit

A dangerous driver who led police on a high-speed pursuit has been disqualified.

Anthony Yewman, 46, drove away from officers at Handcross after initially stopping.

He reached high speeds up to 60mph in a 30mph zone as he drove south into Brighton.

Officers saw him overtake other vehicles on a blind bend, and undertake other vehicles.

Driving at excess speed is one of the fatal five causes of deaths and serious collisions on our roads.

But he lost control at the Mill Road roundabout at Patcham, striking a kerb and damaging the blue Ford Mondeo he was driving.

Officers from the Roads Policing Unit used specialist tactics to safely stop Yewman on the A23 near Preston Park, where he was arrested.

Yewman, of no fixed address, appeared before Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 19 May where he admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving while disqualified, driving without valid insurance, fraudulent use of a vehicle registration mark, and breaching a restraining order.

He was sentenced to one year in prison and the court imposed a 10-year driving disqualification.

The court was told how the incident happened at 11.35pm on 16 May this year at Handcross.

After initially stopping for police, he made off at speed along the A23 southbound.

Speaking after the case, PC Max Setra from the Roads Policing Unit said: “Yewman’s driving was reckless and he was fortunate not to have caused injuries to himself and his passenger.

“We know that speeding is the cause of one in three collisions in Sussex.

“We also know that disqualified and uninsured drivers like Yewman pose a risk to other road users, both for causing serious collisions and also in causing higher premiums for us all.

“We carry out patrols and we are determined to catch offenders, so we are pleased that a dangerous driver has been taken off our roads and will serve a custodial sentence.”