Banned driver caught using car with missing rear window, King's Lynn court told

A court has heard how police who spotted a car missing its rear window wanted to pull it over, but soon lost sight of it.

The Vauxhall Astra was estimated to have reached speeds of 100mph after it pulled off a garage forecourt and headed along St Paul’s Road South, Marshland St James, at about 12.20pm on April 7.

“Police officers moved off to effect a stop. The vehicle was nowhere to be seen,” prosecutor Bethany Richards told Lynn magistrates yesterday.

“Officers assumed it had left at some speed to avoid them.”

An area search was started and CCTV from the garage was checked.

The car was found and driver Rightoues Price, of Goose Lane, Marshland St James, was arrested at a caravan.

He was still wearing the same top and baseball cap which could be seen in the CCTV images.

Checks showed that he had been disqualified from driving for six months in November 2020.

Price, 34, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and having no insurance.

In mitigation, solicitor Andrew Cogan said there must be doubt over the police’s estimation of his client’s speed on a country lane.

“It’s difficult to fathom how they could have made an assumption of speed because it was so far away and they were not catching up with it,” he said.

Mr Cogan said Price had been filling the car up at the garage because he had just sold it.

“He didn’t see a police car so had no reason to drive off at speed,” he added.

For driving while disqualified, Price was given six penalty points and fined £250. For having no insurance, he was fined £150 and had his licence endorsed.

He was also ordered to pay £105 costs and a £40 victim surcharge.

* Price’s father was also due before the same court for sentencing on a string of serious driving offences.

At an earlier hearing, Righteous Price, 52, of the same address, admitted drink-driving, driving while disqualified and having no insurance in Smeeth Road, Marshland St James, on November 19, 2019.

He had also pleaded guilty to being in charge of a vehicle while over the alcohol limit in Lynn Road, Wisbech, on February 20, 2020.

And the most recent offences were dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop for a police officer and having no insurance in Mount Pleasant Road, Wisbech, on July 14, 2020.

Magistrates were told that Price Snr was unable to attend on Thursday due to medical reasons and the case was adjourned to May 26.

Conditional bail was extended. He must not sit in the front seat of any vehicle and must live and sleep at his home address unless in hospital for treatment.