Disqualified driver jailed after taking Ford Transit van on police chase through Emsworth

On November 12 last year, a Ford Transit van was cornered in a car park in Emsworth having been pursued by police officers - taking cop cars the wrong way down one-way streets.

At Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court today (Thursday, March 12), 34-year-old Leon Campbell was sentenced for driving while disqualified and using a motor vehicle on a road without third-party insurance.

Campbell, a traveller of no fixed abode, wore a plain white t-shirt and jeans as he stood in the dock for sentencing, having already pleaded guilty in January.

The court head how Campbell was using the vehicle to collect building materials after an employee called out for the day; he drove despite being disqualified because he did not want to lose his construction contract.

Mitigating, Campbell’s solicitor told the court he “has a tendency not to think, he acts impulsively” and called for a suspended sentence after the construction worker pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.

But District Judge David Robinson KC concluded that driving while already disqualified, with previous convictions, meant immediate imprisonment was his only option.

He said: “You have a recent history of driving offences tthat show you have no regard for the law, or the safety of road users. You were banned at the time for dangerous driving - for which you had also been imprisoned.

“You used your Ford Transit van for work purposes, drove the wrong way down a one-way system and had to be pursued and stopped by police after you fled from the vehicle.

“The offence is so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified.”

Campbell was jailed for 14 weeks and must pay a £154 surcharge. He will also be disqualified from driving for one year, which will come into effect once his current ban concludes next month.

After that, Campbell will need to take an extended driving test to get his licence again.