IN THE
NEWS...IN THE NEWS..
BOURNEMOUTH MAN JAILED AFTER CRASHING HEAD-ON INTO TAXI WHILE FLEEING POLICE
A dangerous driver who smashed head- on into a taxi while fleeing police in a stolen car has been jailed. Taxi driver Derek Watsom, 46, has not been able to return to work due to the injuries he suffered in the crash caused by Gareth Picton on January 19. Mr Watson spent over six weeks in hospital for a broken pelvis and smashed ankle and will not be behind the wheel again until July. Picton, from Char- minster, was sen- tenced at Bourne- mouth Crown Court last month after
pleading guilty to a string of offences, including dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, driv- ing while disqual- ified, driving without insurance, causing damage to a vehicle and failing to stop for officers. He also admitted making off from a petrol station without payment and burglary. The court heard a grey Vauxhall Insig- nia was stolen in Bournemouth. On January 19, 38-year- old Picton was spotted driving the stolen car to a petrol station, filling it with £40 worth of petrol and driving away
and the speed. A short time later, he crashed into Mr Watson’s
Octavia taxi
Skoda in
without paying. At around 9am the same day, police in a marked car saw the stolen Vauxhall be- ing driven with a space saver wheel on and a damaged wing mirror. Officers followed the car and tried to stop it. It was
followed eventually onto Char-
minster Road where a marked car pulled across the road and requested the car to stop. However, Pic- ton drove around the police car and onto the pavement before
speeding
away. Police stop- ped following the car due to the nature of the driving
Charminster Road. A 15-year-old girl who was a passen- ger in the back of the taxi suffered minor cuts. When officers arrived at the scene, both occupants of the Vauxhall had run off. An 18-year-old wo- man from Bourne- mouth was arrested in connection with the incident and remains
released
under investigation. Picton was arrested later that day in Bournemouth town centre.
Picton was jailed for two years and dis- qualified
from
driving for three years. He was told he would have to take an extended re- test before getting his licence back. Mr Watson, who works for Winton- based Mobile Radio Cars and has been a cabbie for 20 years, said he had been virtually
house-
bound since the crash. He told the Daily Echo: “I’ve only just started walking with crutches. Luckily, I’ve got quite a bit of savings but hopeful- ly I’ll get com- pensation.”
24
MAY 2019
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104
