Grimsby teenager given suspended sentence for reckless driving
The Ford Fiesta was driven at speeds of over 100mph
Last updated 1st Mar 2023
A teenager from Grimsby who drove his Ford Fiesta at speeds of over 100 miles per hour on the A180 has been given a suspended sentence at court last week.
19-year-old Oliver Clark from Weelsby Street in the town drove up the Barnetby Top slip road and collided with a lorry. The force of the impact caused the lorry to come off the road.
Clark was in a coma for four days after the incident last July - the lorry driver escaped with minor injuries.
Clark was handed a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, he was also banned from driving for two years.
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The investigating officer, PC Sean Hutchinson from the Humberside Police Serious Collision Unit said,
“Highly trained officers were in pursuit of the teenager after he failed to stop and made off from officers in Cleethorpes”.
“Due to the dangerous manner of Clark’s driving, it was not possible to immediately bring the pursuit to a safe resolution, as to do so could have risked endangering the lives of the officers engaged in the pursuit”.
“Clark then drove at speeds in excess of 100MPH up the Barnetby Top slip road and collided with the rear of a 32-tonne lorry which was also heading up the slip road. The force of the impact was such that the lorry was pushed off the road, coming to rest in trees at the bottom of an embankment”.
“Officer’s feared Clark’s car would set alight and risked their own lives to recover him from his car and provide first aid”. Clark was in a coma for four days following the collision and he continues to recover from his injuries.
“Fortunately, the driver of the lorry escaped with minor injuries as did the roads policing officer whose car was hit as Clark’s car rebounded off the rear of the lorry.”
Judge John Thackray KC handed Clark a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, he also banned Clark from driving for two years and ordered him to take an extended retest before he gets his driving licence back.
Speaking directly to Clark, Judge John Thackray KC said: “You should consider yourself extremely fortunate.” It was only “pure chance” that he or no one else was killed in the pursuit and the collision.