He had been banned from the roads following a police chase last year
A panicking drink-driver who hurtled along streets at frightening speeds of 90mph after making the “utterly idiotic” decision to put his foot on the accelerator later completely ignored a driving ban and a suspended prison sentence.
Andrew Mackenzie led police on a hair-raising chase, including driving through two sets of red traffic lights, at a “grossly excessive speed” before abruptly stopping his BMW and desperately trying to run off, Hull Crown Court heard.
Mackenzie, 34, of Sullivan Road, off Boothferry Road, west Hull, admitted new offences of driving while disqualified and having no insurance in Sibelius Road, Hull, on June 25. He had already narrowly avoided prison last year after admitting dangerous driving and drink-driving on February 20.
Clara Brown, prosecuting, said that Mackenzie was banned from driving until May 2, 2027 but, at midday, police were passed by a Vauxhall Vectra which had cloned number plates on it. The car was stopped and Mackenzie was the driver.
He confirmed that he was disqualified from driving and has no insurance. “The defendant confirmed that he knew that he was disqualified and said that he had borrowed the car from a friend,” said Miss Brown.
Mackenzie was in breach of a 10-month suspended prison sentence, with 200 hours’ unpaid work and 15 days’ rehabilitation, imposed on June 5 last year. He had been banned from driving for three years and he had been told that he must pass an extended retest before he could drive legally again.
The court was told that day that police were driving in Hawthorn Avenue, west Hull, when they spotted Mackenzie in a silver BMW at 12.34am and followed him. He accelerated away at high speed and headed straight out of a junction at Carlton Street.
The police followed him as he drove at high speed on Hessle Road towards Askew Avenue. Mackenzie drove at about 80mph in 30mph limits and he braked heavily and went through red traffic lights towards Anlaby Park Road North at 90mph in a 30mph zone.
Officers activated their blue lights in an attempt to stop the driver but the vehicle failed to stop and went through another red traffic light.
The car came to a stop in the St Thomas More Road area and Mackenzie tried to run away from the scene by jumping over a nearby fence.
Police ran after him and he was detained. A passenger had been in the car during the chase. A breath test reading taken at 12.55am revealed that he had 66mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg. Mackenzie had convictions for 28 previous offences, including robbery in 2020, as well as failing to stop for police and failing to provide a breath specimen.
Cathy Kioko-Gilligan, mitigating, told the latest hearing that it was not the most serious new offending by Mackenzie. “None the less, it was in the face of a suspended sentence order,” said Miss Kioko-Gilligan.
“The defendant accepts that he has behaved foolishly.” Mackenzie had completed nearly all the unpaid work and rehabilitation ordered as part of the suspended sentence.
Do you feel safe on the roads? You can have your say by completing the poll below or by clicking here.
“The defendant is very disappointed with himself,” said Miss Kioko-Gilligan. “He did not give his order a thought. He would have been told that, should he commit further offences, he would be sent to immediate custody.”
Recorder Caroline Sellars told Mackenzie: “I have no doubt that, when that order was imposed, the judge made it absolutely clear what the consequences would be for you if you committed any further offences yet, a little over a year later and two-thirds of the way through the suspended sentence order, you acted in a way that you acknowledge was stupid and foolish. You chose to drive in a way that can only described as a flagrant breach of this court order.
“You clearly did not consider the risk to the public by your actions. You knew full well you were disqualified. You chose to take your friend’s car. You chose to drive for about an hour before you were stopped.”
Mackenzie was given 150 hours’ unpaid work, 10 days’ rehabilitation and was fined £500. He was disqualified from driving for one year, to run alongside the previous ban, and he must still pass an extended retest before he can drive legally again.