Colchester man crashed BMW into lorry then tried to hide in a hedge
Pshtewan Rashid, 31, was driving a white BMW on the A12 last October when witnesses saw a light from inside the car, suggesting that he was using his phone at the wheel. The defendant then crashed into a lorry which joined the A12 near Galleywood, and he later lied to police by claiming he was a passenger in the car. George Dixon, prosecuting, said: "He did nothing to stop from crashing with the lorry.
"He lost control and the car spun across the road, and the airbags were deployed." Following the crash, highway maintenance workers and other motorists stopped to help. Rashid then walked away from the scene, without attempting to exchange details with the lorry driver.
He was later seen walking on the embankment, and when police arrived, the officers searched the area with the help of a police dog. Mr Dixon said: "He was found hiding in a hedgerow and when he was challenged, he said 'No, there were two people, I was not driving'". Police found a BMW key in the defendant's coat pocket, and during an interview, he answered "no comment" and agreed to help identify the driver.
Colchester Magistrates' Court heard Rashid, who was driving the car all along, had his licence revoked a month before the incident. He admitted in March to failing to stop after a road accident, driving without due care and attention, failing to give information and driving whilst disqualified. Rashid appeared unrepresented before the court and spoke through a Kurdish interpreter.
When he was asked if he wanted to say anything to the magistrates to convince them not to send him to prison, he said: "No." Due to his lack of previous convictions, the bench sentenced Rashid, of Queen Street, Colchester, to 12 weeks of imprisonment suspended for 12 months. He also received 15 days of rehabilitation activity, 100 hours of unpaid work and a disqualification from driving for 18 months.
Rashid will have to pay GBP85 in costs and GBP154 for the victim surcharge.