A motorist with a history of driving offences has been jailed after carrying out a "highly dangerous" overtake on the crest of a hill and smashing into another car. Shaun Kelsey, 41, smelled "strongly of stale beer" and was slurring his words after the crash, and became aggressive while trapped in his vehicle.
A woman's car was written off in the collision, and a man's Mini also sustained damage. A judge said his driving had "serious consequences" for the innocent motorists involved and sent him to prison.
Crash on the A690
On Monday, Kelsey, of Linden Park, Brandon, Durham, appeared at Durham Crown Court to be sentenced for dangerous driving and refusing to provide a sample. The 41-year-old had pleaded guilty to the offences, which were carried out on February 18 this year.
The court heard that Kelsey was driving a Vauxhall Astra dangerously along the A690 near Brancepeth and had already caught the attention of an off-duty police officer. He had also been seen overtaking three vehicles before the crash.
Zaiban Alam, prosecuting, said: "[Kelsey] approached the brow of a hill and pulled onto the opposite side of the road to overtake on the hill." As Kelsey carried out the risky manoeuvre, other cars were approaching and he smashed into a woman's Mazda and collided with a man's Mini.
Strong smell of beer
The court was told that the woman's Mazda was written off and the airbags had been deployed. Ms Alam said that afterwards, Kelsey remained in his car "revving his engine" and "became aggressive and was swearing at the woman". He also began talking about "fighting" another man at the scene before police were called.
Ms Alam said Kelsey was still stuck in his car when emergency services arrived. She said: "The defendant couldn't follow instructions to unlock his door and police had to force open the driver side door. Officers could smell a strong smell of stale beer and the defendant replied he'd had three cans."
"He had slurred speech but refused a breath sample saying 'I'm going to get in my car and drive again'. He was arrested and taken to hospital for a cut to his head." The court heard that he also refused to provide a blood sample when in hospital. After being discharged, he was arrested once more. In a police interview the next day, he blamed the oncoming car for the crash.
Previous driving offences
The court was told Kelsey had a bad record for previous driving offences. In 2001 as a youth, he was given six months supervision for dangerous driving. In 2011, he was given a suspended prison sentence for dangerous driving and driving without a licence.
In 2013, he was fined for driving while disqualified and in 2020 he was jailed for 12 months for dangerous driving. In 2023, he was also jailed for two years for assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Tony Davis, defending, said Kelsey is "bitterly remorseful" and is "unable to recall events". He said: "[This offending] is unlike his previous matters of driving. It occurred during an acute personal crisis. Following a family court appearance he had been drinking heavily the night before and taking diazepam." Mr Davis said an immediate custodial sentence would also financially impact his partner.
Jailed
Judge Aisha Wadoodi said Kelsey carried out a "highly dangerous manoeuvre". She told him: "Your driving was appalling and had serious consequences on a number of people. You were even aggressive when you got to hospital."
Kelsey was jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for four years.
