Drug-driver who led police on 100mph chase spared jail because of prison overcrowding

A drug-driver who last year led police on a high-speed chase through Kent has been spared jail because of prison overcrowding.

Bobbie-Lee Beany, 23, has never taken a driving test and was high on drugs when police stopped his Ford Transit near the Bluewater shopping centre in Greenhithe, Kent. The vehicle, which was displaying false number plates, sped away from the scene, reaching speeds of up to 100mph.

However, at his sentencing hearing at Maidstone Crown Court in Kent (pictured above), Judge Robert Lazarus only handed out a 14-month suspended sentence and a two-year driving ban.

Lazarus said that, following a Court of Appeal ruling earlier this month, courts should “have an awareness of the impact of the current prison population levels” when sentencing offenders, and can choose to suspend the sentence or impose a community order instead of a custodial sentence.

The current prison population is around 600 short of its 85,000 maximum capacity in England and Wales. The problem of overcrowding is such that the Ministry of Justice has requested the emergency use of police cells to accommodate prisoners.

Beany’s driving on April 22, 2022 was described by Lazarus as “exceptionally dangerous” and he said it was “simple luck” that nobody was killed or injured. Beany was found to be over the drug-drive limit for cocaine and benzoylecgonine, and was in possession of a small amount of cannabis.

Maidstone Crown Court was told that Beany sped away after his Ford Transit was stopped near the Kent shopping centre shortly before midnight on April 22.

He then drove through a cordoned-off area of roadworks and onto the wrong side of the road, before joining the London-bound A2 and hitting 100mph.

Prosecutor John Connor told the court Beany was swerving erratically and overtaking traffic on the inside, and only reduced his speed to 90mph when he reached a 50mph stretch.

“The fact no one was injured or indeed killed is frankly no more than simple luck.”

Beany left the A2 at Sidcup, but headed the wrong way around a roundabout before continuing along the Danson underpass in the oncoming lane of traffic. When he corrected the vehicle’s path, he did so by driving over the central reservation.

The court was also told that Beany had jumped at least two red lights and drove at 50mph in residential streets while smoke billowed from the back of his van.

Beany eventually fled through a housing estate in Abbey Wood, southeast London, and had to be tracked down with a police helicopter.

Beanie admitted dangerous driving, two offences of drug-driving, possessing cannabis, fraudulent use of a registration mark, and driving without a licence and without insurance.

“This was exceptionally dangerous driving indeed,” said Lazarus. “The fact no one was injured or indeed killed is frankly no more than simple luck and it is very surprising there was no actual serious accident. I have to consider whether or not to suspend your sentence. Somebody who is prepared to drive as you did does represent a danger to the public.”

However, although Lazarus said such offences would normally lead to an immediate imprisonment, Beany was sentenced to a 14-month jail term suspended for 18 months, and he was banned from driving for two years.

“It is a finely balanced decision and in normal circumstances would probably result in me sending you immediately to prison,” Lazarus told Beany. “But I have to bear in mind the recent Court of Appeal decision which points out the current state of the prison population, and I have heard evidence of this happening in our local prisons in that it results in a limitation on the number of rehabilitation courses available and a lengthy wait to undertake such opportunities.”

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