Drunken teenager led police on high speed chase

Colin Adwent

A DRUNKEN teenager led police on a high-speed chase in a stolen car through dark country roads in Suffolk, a court heard.

Essa Al Dossary has been sentenced to eight months in a young offenders' institution after admitting drink driving for the second time in two years and aggravated vehicle taking.

At the 18-year-old's Ipswich Crown Court sentencing prosecutor Naomi Turner said Al Dossary had come into Ipswich on a night out with two friends on April 25.

One of the men, Luke Bourne, had borrowed his mother's black Seat car for the evening. He was admitted to Fire and Ice nightspot in Tacket Street, but Al Dossary and another man could not get into the club.

Mr Bourne gave his two friends the car keys so they could sit inside the vehicle and keep warm, the court heard.

However, Al Dossary, of Elm Grove, Garboldisham, near Diss, offered Shaniece Oliver and her friend a lift, despite not having permission to drive the Seat.

Mrs Turner said the quartet were heading towards the Caribbean Club in Woodbridge Road when Al Dossary accelerated as they passed Ipswich police station while heading along Civic Drive.

A police officer saw the vehicle and began to follow it as it went along St Matthew's Street, Crown Street and St Margaret's Plain.

Although the officer's car had its flashing blue lights on Al Dossary did not stop and a high-speed chase, lasting more than 30 minutes, began. The court heard he reached speeds of 70mph as he drove up Bolton Lane and headed towards Tuddenham Avenue.

Miss Oliver later told police she was shouting at Al Dossary to stop. In a statement to police she said: “I was terrified. I thought we were going to end up being killed.”

Several other police cars joined the pursuit out of Ipswich, through Westerfield and along back roads between 2.30am and 3am. The police helicopter was also called upon.

At one point a police car managed to overtake Al Dossary and tried to get him to slow down. However, he squeezed past it, clipping the front of the car as he overtook.

He also avoided a spiked 'Stinger' device laid across the road to stop him.

The court was told that during the chase Al Dossary drove erratically at speeds between 30mph and 80mph. He finally came to a halt in the Co-op car park in Debenham. Although he fled from the Seat he was subsequently arrested in the area.

A subsequent breath test showed Al Dossary had 41microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mcgs.

The court heard he had previous convictions for burglary, handling stolen goods and drink driving. He was also on bail at the time for an offence of disorderly behaviour.

Recorder Christopher Makey told Al Dossary the consequences of his driving could have been fatal.

In addition to his eight-month sentence Al Dossary was disqualified from driving for three years.