Hockley businessman jailed after A130 ambulance crash

Lee Willis, 50, of Glenwood Avenue, Hockley, smashed into the ambulance on the A130 as he sped away from police at more than 100mph. After clipping an Audi and mounting the central reservation, Willis's Ford Ranger truck flew through the air and crashed into the ambulance, tearing a hole in the side of it. "It was something of a miracle that it was not a head-on collision with that ambulance," said prosecutor Daniel Setter.

When Essex Police officers searched Willis's truck, they found cocaine inside it. Willis, who runs Wickford central heating firm Cozy Energy Ltd, was jailed for 16 months after Judge Samantha Cohen found appropriate punishment could only be achieved by immediate custody. Essex Police had begun pursuing Willis after a member of the public reported seeing him nearly hit a pedestrian in Rayleigh.

Officers caught up to him on the Rettendon Turnpike at its junction with the A130 and switched on their blue lights to pull him over. But instead of stopping, Willis accelerated and began to flee "in excess of 100mph", the prosecutor told Basildon Crown Court on Thursday (April 16). "It was also swerving around other vehicles," said Mr Setter. "The police who were part of the chase observed that the manoeuvres were all very late and caused swerving."

It was during an attempted overtaking of another vehicle that Willis lost control, hit the Audi and careered onto the opposite carriageway, hitting the ambulance. "There were three paramedics on board," said the prosecution barrister. "One of those paramedics was rendered unconscious by reason of that collision. One of the other paramedics sustained a cut to the mouth and face area."

The paramedic who was knocked out in the collision suffered a concussion and then a condition called post-concussion syndrome, with symptoms including "extreme headaches" which lasted for many months after the crash. Judge Cohen questioned after hearing about the crew member's injuries why Willis hadn't been charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving, to which Mr Setter said he was not sure. "When he was extracted from the vehicle, he was asked to provide samples for analysis but declined to do so," the prosecutor continued.

"The officers report that when they found Mr Willis, they could smell intoxicating liquor and certainly, a number of the officers observed that he was under the influence of alcohol." Willis claimed through his barrister that both his behaviour at the scene and his refusal to provide samples were due to shock. He said he had drunk one bottle of beer earlier that day but others had been in the boot of his car from an earlier fishing trip and had smashed in the crash.

He claimed the cocaine in his truck had been left by a friend on the same fishing trip. "He said that he had been struggling with his mental health and depression that there were issues with his ex-wife as to child contact," Mr Setter said of Willis's comments to police. He had been "panicked and agitated" after his ex-partner threatened to restrict his access to their daughter if he didn't arrive that day to see her at a particular time, he claimed.

His ex-wife supplied a letter to the court saying she felt the events that night were partly her fault, and attended Thursday's hearing to support Willis. Willis claimed he had not noticed police trying to pull him over as he had been so focused on getting to Wickford to see his daughter on time - a claim Judge Cohen said she did not believe. But she did accept there was insufficient evidence to sentence on the basis he was intoxicated when the crash occurred.

Willis pleaded guilty in January, on what would have been the first day of his trial, to dangerous driving and possession of a Class A drug. "There is no excuse for his driving that day," said defence barrister Cyrus Shroff. "He fully appreciates the danger that he caused.

He doesn't try for one moment to minimise his behaviour. "He is absolutely devastated by his actions and remains deeply affected by the potential harm that he caused to others." Judge Cohen said she had read a number of "impressive" references and accepted Willis had taken steps to address his long-standing substance abuse issues, including becoming a sponsor at Cocaine Anonymous.

But she said the offence could not be dealt with by anything other than immediate prison.