A dangerous driver who fled the scene of a horror crash while a passenger was trapped in the car has been jailed. Reece Page, 27, lost control of a Mini Cooper and smashed into a brick wall, leaving a 22-year-old man in the back seat stranded with life-changing injuries.
Unemployed Page had been in a nearby Wetherspoon pub in Hailsham, East Sussex, when he got behind the wheel of the vehicle that he had not been given permission to drive by the owner. He was also only a provisional licence holder at the time and was not displaying L plates when he crashed just after 1am last February 26.
He was given the keys to a vehicle, which did not belong to him, by another man and decided to drive despite being warned not to. After careering into a wall he ran away from the scene, police said.
Firefighters cut the 22-year-old man from the vehicle before paramedics rushed him to hospital. At Lewes Crown Court on Friday Page was jailed for three years and nine months after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
Page, from Hailsham, was also banned from driving for five years and 10 months once he is released from prison. PC Lloyd, Archer from Sussex Police's Roads Policing Unit, slammed Page for getting behind the wheel as he was warned by a friend not to drive that evening.
He said after the hearing: “Page’s actions were reckless and selfish. He showed no regard for his passenger, who has been left with life-changing injuries.
“Outside the pub he had been warned not to drive by a friend and he was not given permission to drive the car. But he ignored these warnings, causing devastating consequences.
“He caused both himself, his passengers, and other road users a serious risk of causing serious injuries or worse. Page will have to think about his behaviour from his prison cell. We are pleased that a dangerous driver has been taken off our roads.”
