Newbury motorist Corrie Black hospitalised after fleeing police and overturning car
A MAN led police on a high speed chase through country roads in a stolen vehicle before crashing and overturning outside a village pub.
Twenty-year-old Corrie Black, of Elizabeth Avenue in Newbury, appeared for sentencing at Reading Crown Court on Friday, May 16.
Harriet Lawrence, prosecuting, said: “Around 2am a police patrol was driving through Chapel Row in the Upper Bucklebury area.
“They saw a car driving, with full beam headlights, very close to the vehicle in front.”
The officers activated their blue strobe lights to indicate Black should stop.
But, instead, the court heard, he suddenly accelerated, overtook the car in front, and sped off into the night.
The officers gave chase and, before long, came across a crash scene.
Black had lost control so badly that his vehicle had flipped over and landed on its roof near The Bladebone Inn pub restaurant.
Ms Lawrence said the £12,000 car had to be written off and there was extensive damage to a BT pylon into which it had careered.
Black was removed from the wreckage and taken to hospital to be treated for his injuries.
However, due to a staff shortage, she added, no one was available to take a blood sample.
Instead, police took a breath sample some eight hours later.
A ‘back calculation’ estimate suggested Black could have drunk at least more than twice the legal limit for driving.
Meanwhile, it transpired the car Black was driving had false number plates fitted.
The plates had been stolen from a family vehicle in Slough, Berkshire, who said the theft of the vehicle had caused them financial and emotional distress.
The family’s daughter, to whom the car belonged, was “terrified” she would be targeted by criminals for reporting the matter, the court heard.
Black admitted driving a Fiat Abarth 500 dangerously on Hatch Lane, Chapel Row.
He further admitted fraudulently using a false licence plate.
Finally, Black admitted an offence of aggravated vehicle taking.
All the above offences were committed on December 23, 2022.
He also has five previous convictions for offences including assault causing actual bodily harm and breaching a court order.
Hugh Forgan, defending Black, said the offending “happened in a period of his life when he was drinking.”
He added: “He was bullied at school - and at college.
“And, at home, there were police call-outs.
“These were nothing to do with him but led to him leaving.
“Since then he has been able to radically cut down on his drinking; he has been able to go back home because his father is no longer there.
“He is therefore far less likely to re-offend.”
Judge Amjad Nawaz told Black: “The (pre-sentence) report says you’re not beyond redemption.”
He sentenced Black to six months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.
Under the order, Black must comply with an electronically monitored, 60-day alcohol abstinence and complete 75 hours of unpaid community work.
In addition he was ordered to pay £85 costs plus a statutory victim services surcharge.
Finally, Black was banned from driving for 12 months.
