Drink and drug-driver sentenced for crash that put car on its roof

man who crashed a car he had taken while over the drink limit and with an excess of cannabis in his system was handed a suspended sentence. RINGWOODA

Thomas Manston (21), of Queensway, pleaded guilty to both offences when he appeared before Poole magistrates.

He further admitted that at the time of the offences, on 15th December last year, he was disqualified from driving, had no insurance and took the Ford Focus vehicle without the owner’s consent, causing less than £5,000 of damage to it.

said the single-vehicle collision involved the Focus careering off Leigh Road, Wimborne, colliding with two lamp posts and landing on its roof. Dorset PoliceAt the time of the incident

The force added Manston sustained a fractured pelvis in the incident and had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

The Bench handed him a 16-week prison term, but suspended it for 12 months.

Manston was told to do 150 hours of unpaid work in the community, disqualified from driving for four years, and ordered to pay £200 court costs.

Prior to the incident a police car travelling in the opposite direction responding to a separate 999 call spotted the Focus and officers reported the manner of its driving.

Because of that Dorset Police notified the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC), as is standard practise.

A spokeswoman for Dorset Police confirmed the IOPC investigated but was happy for Dorset Police to conduct a review into the incident. The force found its officers acted correctly and there was no breach of policy or procedure, she added.