Dangerous drink driver jailed after crashing into house in Poole

James Glenn Reade was at the wheel of his Volkswagen Scirocco when he committed the dangerous driving incident in Poole.

Following the crash in November last year he fled the scene but was located shortly afterwards in Bournemouth.

Reade, aged 47 and of Sheppard's Field, Wimborne, was jailed for six months at Bournemouth Crown Court on Friday, December 11, after admitting offences of dangerous driving and drink driving.

At around 7.20am on Sunday, November 17, 2019, the defendant left an address in Bournemouth in his car and travelled to Poole.

His journey was captured on his vehicle’s dashcam, which showed him driving to Alder Road with the windscreen misted up, limiting his visibility of the road ahead.

Reade went to a drive-thru McDonald’s before returning to Alder Road, where his speed reached up to 93mph in a 30mph zone.

As he reached the roundabout junction with Ashley Road, he failed to slow sufficiently and struck a traffic island and the roundabout before colliding with a property in Ashley Road.

• Read more: Woman's horror as car smashes into her Branksome home

The force of the collision caused structural damage to the home, whose occupant was inside at the time and witnessed the crash.

Reade fled the scene and was located shortly afterwards at an address in Bournemouth following enquiries by officers.

The defendant, who smelt of alcohol, failed a breath test and was arrested before being taken to hospital as a precaution.

At 11.11am that morning – around two-and-a-half hours after the collision – he provided a specimen of blood for analysis, this was found to contain 86 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.

A judge disqualified from driving for two years and six months.

James Glenn Reade, aged 47 and of Sheppard's Field, Wimborne

PC Dave Cotterill, of the traffic unit, said: “James Reade’s driving on Sunday 17 November last year was extremely reckless and it is fortunate that nobody was seriously hurt by his actions.

“We are committed to tackling drink drivers who present a risk to other road users and this case is an example of the dangers that can be posed by driving the morning after consuming alcohol, when you can still be over the limit and your judgement and reactions remain severely impaired.”

Dorset Police is currently running its annual Christmas drink and drug drive campaign, which will see officers requesting roadside breath tests from all drivers who commit a moving road traffic offence, irrespective of whether or not they suspect a drink driving offence.

• Read more: Drink and drug drivers targeted in Christmas crackdown

Drugwipe sample kits will be used on drivers suspected of being unfit to drive through drugs.

Officers will also be carrying out intelligence-led fixed site checks, as well as engaging with motorists on the risks of getting behind the wheel after a drink or taking drugs.