What Price justice?
Ex-model was drunk, on cocaine and banned when she crashed BMW. As judge says she should be locked up – but can’t be jailed because she went to rehab...
A JUDGE told Katie Price she is ‘extremely lucky’ not to be spending Christmas behind bars after crashing her BMW following a drink and drugs bender.
The former glamour model had to be pulled from the car at 6am after flipping it on a country lane. She was already banned from driving at the time.
Price, 43, was initially warned she faced up to six months in jail. However, the mother of five escaped with a suspended sentence yesterday from a judge who acknowledged that many would be ‘appalled’ by the outcome.
Amanda Kelly said her hands were tied because the TV star had complied with terms set at a previous hearing. After pleading guilty to three charges in September, Price’s sentencing was deferred on the condition that she have treatment at the Priory rehabilitation centre and not commit any further offences.
She was discharged from the Priory last month and duly jetted off to Las Vegas with fiance Carl Woods, who joined thrice-divorced Price in court yesterday.
Judge Kelly told Crawley Magistrates’ Court that the reality
TV star deserved ‘to spend Christmas behind bars’. She added: ‘The public may be appalled to know that I cannot send you to prison today. You are extremely lucky. When you chose to get behind the wheel of the car that night you showed no consideration for others. You could have killed someone’s partner, child, parent or friend.’
Price was handed a 16-week sentence, suspended for a year. She must also carry out 100 hours of community service and received a new two-year driving ban. In addition, she was ordered to attend 20 rehabilitation sessions and told to pay a victim surcharge of £128 along with court costs of £85.
Price, who appeared in court wearing a grey sweatshirt, white tracksuit bottoms and trainers, appeared tearful as the judge condemned her actions.
She said the celebrity – who has previously been banned from the roads no fewer than five times – had one of the worst driving records she had ever seen, and would face jail immediately if she put ‘a foot wrong’ in the weeks and months ahead.
‘Not everybody has the luxury of being able to check into the Priory,’ the judge said. ‘It seems you think you are above the law.’
After the hearing, Neil Greig of the safety charity IAM RoadSmart said: ‘Drink-driving wrecks lives,
‘You are extremely lucky’
and we would have expected the court to hand down a stronger sentence to such a prolific offender.’
The court heard that Price left her £1.7million West Sussex home on September 28 to visit a friend, spurred by loneliness after drinking alcohol and taking cocaine. She lost control of her BMW X5 two miles from her property, flipping the vehicle into a hedge on a country lane.
Price, who was twice the legal drink-drive limit, told officers: ‘I’m guilty. I drank alcohol. I took drugs. I shouldn’t be driving. I admit it.’
She appeared before magistrates the following day and pleaded guilty to drink driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance. The Crown Prosecution Service dropped a fourth charge relating to drug driving after deciding it would have no impact on Price’s sentence and that there was no public interest in pursuing it.
Joe Harrington, in mitigation, said Price lived a ‘chaotic’ life and was facing bankruptcy. He also said Price is the sole carer for son Harvey, 19, who has severe autism and does not have contact with his father, ex-footballer Dwight Yorke. ‘This is a lady with an awful lot going on,’ Mr Harrington said. ‘She has five children... and her mother is terminally ill with cancer.’
During the hearing, Price was also issued with a summons over her failure to pay a fine of £7,358 imposed in January 2019 for previous driving offences.