Showjumper jailed after driving his modified Mini into group of 15 people

A talented showjumper with ambitions to represent Great Britain has been jailed for dangerous driving after smashing his car into 15 people.

Harlee Pendergast, 18, lost control of a modified Mini One while doing 69mph in a 30mph zone and ploughed into a crowd of fellow car enthusiasts in September last year.

Four people were seriously injured. One was trapped under the car.

Pendergast, from Eltham, south-east London, met at night in a car park with other enthusiasts to compare their modified cars at an estate in Medway.

Kent Police went to clear the group after neighbours complained about the noise. But moments after two of the officers got out of their vehicles to speak to them, Pendergast was seen speeding and swerving towards them.

Det Con David Holmes said: “While we accept that Pendergast did not set out to seriously injure people, his reckless and indefensible behaviour put a large amount of people at risk of harm.”

Pendergast, who was jailed for 18 months on Thursday, pleaded guilty at Woolwich Crown Court to four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and one count of withholding information to obtain car insurance.