Driver sentenced for taking cocaine before high-speed police chase through Cambridge
22 year old Samuel Batters from Littleport, collided with several parked cars and fences during the chase
A driver who was caught on CCTV snorting cocaine twice before leading police on a high-speed chase through Cambridge has been sentenced to a suspended prison term and a driving ban.
The incident unfolded just after 3am on 10 August when CCTV operators spotted 22 year old Samuel Batters of Highfield Drive, Littleport, pulling over, snorting drugs, and then driving off. Police tracked his Kia Sportage to Victoria Road, where he initially appeared to stop but then sped away.
During the chase, Batters collided with several parked cars and fences and stopped briefly three more times before abandoning the vehicle. He was arrested shortly after in Highworth Avenue following a brief foot chase.
A roadside breath test showed he was more than twice the legal alcohol limit, and he also tested positive for cocaine and cannabis.
At Cambridge Crown Court on 22 November, he was sentenced to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, drink driving, and failing to stop after a road accident. He was also banned from driving for 22 months and given a three-month curfew from 8.30pm to 7am.
PC Shelley Cannon from the Road Policing Unit said, “He showed total disregard for the safety of other road users, passengers, and potential pedestrians. His driving fell far below what is expected of a competent and careful driver, highlighting the effects of alcohol and drugs on confidence and risk-taking.”
Cambridgeshire Constabulary operates a confidential, 24/7 hotline for reporting suspected drink or drug drivers on 0800 032 0845.