A disqualified motorist has been handed a sentence following a high-speed pursuit through Brighton (scroll down for the video)
Emre Baglam, 20, from Holmbridge Gardens, Enfield, has been sentenced after engaging in a selfish evasion of officers, which culminated in a single-vehicle collision. Nobody was injured.
Chichester Crown Court heard that on September 3, Baglam, who was already banned from driving, failed to heed police signals to stop on Preston Road.
Footage of the incident released by Sussex Police illustrates the gravity of the offence, showing Baglam accelerating to 70mph in a residential 20mph zone, committing several traffic offences, including running red lights, overtaking dangerously, and even driving against the flow of traffic.
The pursuit, which involved units from the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) and the Tactical Firearms Unit (TFU), ended when Baglam’s Audi careered off the road and into a hedge.
Baglam pleaded guilty to a series of offences, including dangerous driving, failing to stop, not providing a specimen for analysis, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance.
The court has imposed a two-year driving ban and a 20-month suspended prison sentence on Baglam, alongside a directive to complete 100 hours of unpaid work.
Furthermore, he is mandated to attend 20 Rehabilitation Activity Requirement sessions and 19 Thinking Skills Programme sessions and will be under electronic monitoring until July 2024.
Sussex Police, in a statement via RPU Sergeant Vicki Rees, has emphasised the relentless efforts to apprehend those who flout traffic laws and jeopardise public safety.
“This case demonstrates our determination to catch offenders and take dangerous drivers off our roads before they cause harm to themselves or other road users,” said Sgt Rees.
According to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), there were 5,570 police pursuits in England and Wales in 2021.
Of these, 3,690 (65%) involved drivers who were already on a driving ban, meaning that the vast majority of police pursuits in England and Wales involve drivers who are already breaking the law.
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What a pathetic sentence for all those crimes. He should have served the 2 year sentence and started his ban after serving the sentence. No wonder car crime is on the rise. The judge or magistrates who let him off should be named and put on domestic cases only.
He should have gone to jail for twice as long as his previous ban, plus another year for each of the offences, namely dangerous driving, ignoring traffic signals, not obeying a police officer and criminal damage as a result of the end game crash. That would see him locked up for around 10 years. He would not do it again.
Of course, he might not be a British citizen in which case he must be jailed pending deportation, however long that might take. Any dependents that then rely on benefits would get sent back too.