Felixstowe man sentenced for dangerous driving on A12 fined for breaching curfew
Ipswich Crown Court. Picture: SIMON PARKER - Credit: Archant
A Felixstowe man who was given a curfew as part of a suspended prison sentence for dangerous driving on the A12 has been fined £200 for breaching the order.
Mark Church, 39, of Brightwell Close, Felixstowe, appeared before Ipswich Crown Court last year and admitted dangerous driving, driving under the influence of drugs and driving without insurance.
He was given a 12 month prison sentence suspended for 18 months, a rehabilitation activity requirement, a six month curfew and a three-year driving ban.
He returned to court today and admitted breaching his curfew order overnight on December 11-12 and was fined £200 and ordered to pay costs of £140.
Lynne Shirley, prosecuting, said Church was missing from his home during the overnight curfew period of 7pm to 7am the next day.
Folishade Abiodun, for Church, said he had visited his partner in Woodbridge and had been unable to get home because of disruption to public transport caused by snow.
Recorder John Brooke-Smith warned Church that it was “vitally important” there were no further breaches.
Most Read
- 1 Double-decker bus bought on eBay becomes new home for evicted Suffolk family
- 2 Body of woman found in river in Hadleigh
- 3 Man who sexually assaulted toddler in the street could be jailed
- 4 Ipswich entrepreneur to appear on ITV show
- 5 Road closure 'chaos' for residents during fibre works
- 6 Suffolk woman describes 'brutal, shocking' unprovoked train attack
- 7 Staff shortages hit 98% of firms, including Suffolk hotels and restaurants
- 8 Ipswich resident charged £400 by rogue trader to pressure wash driveway
- 9 Revealed: The most isolated villages in Suffolk
- 10 First cases of monkeypox reported in Suffolk
During Church’s sentencing hearing last year the court heard that a policeman heading towards Ipswich on the A12, near the Aldeburgh turn off, at around 3.30am on April 1 saw a stationary car in the middle of the opposite carriageway and turned his vehicle round to see if the driver needed help.
As he approached the car driven by Church it drove off towards Lowestoft and was followed by the police car.
The car was swerving all over the road and on several occasions it drove on the opposite carriageway towards on-coming traffic causing drivers to flash their lights.
The officer suspected the driver was under the influence of drink or drugs and called for assistance.
A marked police car took over the chase and saw Church’s car hitting the kerb and driving on the wrong carriageway.
As Church, who had a passenger in the car, approached Frostenden he mounted the grass verge and stopped.
His eyes were glazed and he was unsteady on his feet and a drugs test proved positive for cocaine.
He told police his passenger had asked him to drive him to Stowmarket and he had agreed to it because he felt intimidated by him.
