Hastings dangerous driver Daniel Berry jailed over police chase

Daniel Berry raced at 56mph in a 30mph zone along roads in Hastings.

He went the wrong way around a roundabout during a short chase in the town.

As he was chased, he opened the van door as it was still moving and fled.

The van careered into a parked car and an innocent member of the public.

But Berry, 38, was found after police used a heat-seeking drone to track him down.

At Lewes Crown Court it was revealed he has previous convictions for driving offences.

Her Honour Judge Janet Waddicor sentenced Berry to 19 months behind bars for dangerous driving.

Lewes Crown Court

Will Martin, prosecuting, said the incident unfolded on January 5 this year.

Berry zoomed through Balsow Road, Elphinstone Road, Hughenden Road, Hughenden Place, Laton Road, Downs Road, and Henderson Close.

Judge Waddicor said: “You were driving a vehicle dangerously while you were uninsured and while disqualified.

“Before me are pages and pages of previous convictions including three for dangerous driving.

“You were driving a van, and when police did a vehicle check they discovered it was uninsured.

Daniel Berry eventually crashed in Henderson Close, Hastings

“During the pursuit the officers switched on the lights and sirens to alert pedestrians near a junction you were turning into without any concern for other road users in a built-up area.”

The judge said cars were parked on either side of the streets making the roads narrow in wet conditions at night.

“You went through those junctions without looking or slowing down, let alone stopping,” the judge said. “This was a police chase that came to an end when you entered a dead end street.

“The van mounted the kerb, you decamped while the vehicle was still moving. The van collided with an innocent member of the public and caused £4,000 worth of damage.

“You then made off from the scene, but were detected by a drone.

“In custody you claimed to be a passenger and told a tissue of lies.”

Dangerous driver Daniel Berry

The mitigation presented was that Berry, of Forewood Lane, Crowhurst, near Battle, has battled addictions to class A drugs, and was on a methadone script at the time.

Judge Waddicor told him: “Your decision to drive was just ridiculous. You couldn’t resist the temptation. You were driving dangerously at excessive speed.”

Berry was told he faces a three-year driving ban when he is released from prison as he starts a 19-month sentence.