Dangerous alcohol driver spared Wimborne auto crime prison

It was only after the officer removed the key from the driving Volkswagen Touran D’Arcy, which had come to rest on the other side of Stone Lane.

Bournemouth Crown Court has learned that the 37-year-old accused has previously committed 10 impaired driving, impaired driving and failing to provide a sample for analysis, 10 former prohibited driving offenses, two driving convictions dangerous and a non-stop violation after an accident.

However, recorder Paul Garlick QC decided not to jail D’Arcy after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, driving with disqualification and drunk driving at an earlier hearing into the Wimborne incident.

The sentencing judge told the offender that this was his “last chance” and that further driving offenses would see him go to jail for “years, not months”.

Continuing, Sadie Rizzo said Sergeant Scammell was on a mobile patrol around 11 p.m. on October 25 when he noticed a car coming in the opposite direction at excessive speed, which was being driven by the accused.

“He turned around and tried to follow this car,” Ms. Rizzo said.

The prosecutor released images from the dashcam of Sergeant Scammell’s car pursuing the accused.

The court heard that after making a U-turn, D’Arcy got into the police car before entering the entrance to the cemetery.

“Mr. D’Arcy got out of the car, the officer didn’t know, letting her back up,” Ms. Rizzo said.

Recorder Garlick QC described this as “creating a very dangerous obstacle”. The car, which belonged to the partner of the accused, still had its engine running and music.

D’Arcy, of Green Close, Sturminster Newton, was in a bush and complied with the officer except when asked to perform a roadside breathalyzer test.

After being arrested and taken to the police station, the defendant provided a sample containing 66 micrograms of alcohol in 100 milliliters of breath – the legal limit is 35 micrograms.

Ms Rizzo said: “During the interview, other than to say he was suffering from a nervous breakdown, he gave an interview without comment throughout.”

Mitigating, Timothy Compton said there were very few, if any, other cars on the road, to which the judge replied, “It’s a pity.”

Mr Compton said his client was a long-time alcoholic, while on his rehabilitation, having already been the subject of three community ordinances, he said “the movement is going in the right direction”.

The lawyer said an immediate jail term would lock him up “for a relatively short period of time,” but support for solving his problems would stop.

D’Arcy is in a stable relationship and has four children, the court said.

“The progress that has been made will certainly stop, if not reverse,” Mr. Compton said. “It would also have an impact on his partner and their children.

Recorder Garlick QC said the defendant’s conduct meant that there was a real risk that a member of the public had sustained “very serious injuries”.

“This was an extremely serious case of reckless driving. It’s made worse by the fact that you were also heavily under the influence of alcohol, ”the judge said.

While there is “no doubt” that the case has crossed the custodial line, recorder Garlick QC has said he is persuaded to impose a conditional sentence because of the pre-sentence report and its problems. medical.

D’Arcy was sentenced to 16 months in prison with a two-year suspended sentence. This included a requirement for alcohol monitoring for 120 days, a thinking skills program, and 200 hours of unpaid work. The defendant was banned from driving for five years.