‘Absolute menace’ on the roads lost control and crashed during …
A banned driver crashed his car into a roundabout following a police chase in which he reached speeds in excess of 100mph. Derby Crown Court heard how[1] heavily-convicted “menace” Thomas Birkbeck swerved in and out of traffic in and around Chesterfield in a bid to escape the pursuing officers.
The defendant who a judge said “has an unbelievably cavalier attitude towards driving” has 31 convictions for 71 offences including “a multiplicity” of motoring crimes. Now he has been given a chance to avoid jail. Handing him a 15-month prison sentence, suspended for 21 months, Judge Shaun Smith KC said:[2] “You are 38 years of age, you are 39 in December and it’s about time you grew up, especially in relation to motor vehicles.
“You have been an absolute menace when it comes to driving vehicles starting when you were a youngster and never stopping and in this instance you literally didn’t stop for the police either. I am not sure how serious you take this as I have read your pre-sentence report and in it you say the police have exaggerated the speeds you were travelling and that this is not your fault.
"But I have read a letter from your mum, I read a lot of letters from mums who understandably support their sons through thick and thin and there is something in there which might ring true in terms of you putting all this behind you.
“You have got a flat now, you are addressing your drug addiction and you have got some stability. Your relationship with your son is a better one, you are in a relationship and in your mum’s words, ‘it looks like the old Thomas is finally coming back’.
“Well you’ve kept out of trouble for the past two-and-a-half years, let's see if you can stay out of trouble for another 21 months as I am suspending your sentence.”
Gurdial Singh, prosecuting, said an Audi being driven by Birkbeck on cloned plates went past police in Rother Way, towards Chesterfield, at 3am on February 22, 2021. He said the car was followed and clocked doing 90mph in a 30mph limit and then at speeds in excess of 100mph before crashing when he “lost control” at a roundabout in Sheffield Road.
The defendant, of Kingswood Avenue, Rotherham, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving on false plates. His offending dates back to the 1990s when he was a juvenile and included what the judge called “a multiplicity of driving offences” as well as burglaries, thefts and drugs.
Katherine White, mitigating, said her client has not offended since this set of crimes. She said: “He says at the time of the offending he had quite literally hit rock bottom, he was homeless, taking drugs and had no contact with his son. Now, for the past two-and-a-half years he has kept out of trouble, kept away from the police and kept out of the courts.”
As part of the suspended sentence order, the judge ordered Birkbeck to carry out 20 rehabilitation sessions and attend a 31-day accredited programme. He also disqualified him from driving for a year.
References
- ^ Derby Crown Court heard how (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Judge Shaun Smith KC said: (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Motorcyclist seriously injured after Peak District crash shut road for four hours (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)