Uninsured young driver led police on high-speed chase

SHE NARROWLY ESCAPED CUSTODY AFTER ‘DANGEROUS AND RECKLESS EPISODE’

A YOUNG motorist from Derbyshire led police on a chase down residential streets at twice the speed limit.

Uninsured Sian Beardsley topped 60mph down quiet roads in Ilkeston as a pursuing patrol car, with blue lights flashing, followed.

The 21-year-old, who lives in the town, then pulled over, got out of her vehicle and tried to run away.

But as the police car pulled in front of her she turned, fell over and was arrested.

Magistrates handed Beardsley, who sobbed in the dock throughout proceedings, a 12-week jail, term, suspended for a year and disqualified her from driving for a year.

Philip Hickson, chair of the bench, said: “This was a dangerous and reckless episode and you have come within a whisker of going into custody.

“It is extremely serious and is aggravated because you were driving at excessive speeds for more than two miles which were over the speed limit.

“You put other drivers and pedestrians at risk and you could easily have crashed into another vehicle or knocked someone over.

“If that had happened we would be having a different conversation now and you would be going to prison.

“You also ran off from a police officer and all of this is compounded because you should not have been driving anyway as you had no insurance.”

Emma HeathTilson, prosecuting at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court, said police noticed a car being driven by Beardsley in Chalons Way, Ilkeston, at 10.55pm on June 21, which registered as having no insurance. She said officers started to follow it and turned on their blue lights but Beardsley accelerated away. Miss Heath-Tilson said: “She turned into Cavendish Road, at which point the officer realised she was not going to stop. “The speed limit there is 30mph and the officer believed she was doing more than 60mph. “She turned left into Nottingham Road and right into Ashdale Road still doing 55mph in a 30mph.

“She turned left into Greenwood Avenue at 50mph and into Green Sian Beardsley Lane, where pulled over.”

Miss Heath-Tilson said the pursing police officer saw Beardsley get out of the car and begin to run away up the street. She said the officer followed her and got in front of her but Beardsley turned around, fell over and was arrested.

Miss Heath-Tilson said the pursuit covered two miles and lasted around five minutes. She said: “In interview, she accepted she was driving without insurance, saying she had trouble affording it.”

Beardsley, of Skeavingtons Lane, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance, failing to stop and resisting a police officer.

The hearing was told how she has no previous convictions of any kind. the car Stephen Cooper, mitigating, said: “She is a young lady that has not just fallen by the wayside she’s fallen off a cliff in relation to this offence.”

He said at the time of the offence Beardsley was in a relationship with a man who “got her into financial difficulties” which meant she could not afford to pay for car insurance but she has since split up from him. Mr Cooper said: “There is no doubt she understands what happened was wrong and is remorseful.”

As well as the disqualification and suspended jail term, Beardsley was ordered to carry our 250 hours of unpaid work and to pay £85 prosecution costs and a £115 victim surcharge.

You put other drivers and pedestrians at risk ... you could easily have knocked someone over.

Magistrate Philip Hickson