Sunderland BMW danger driver who drove through roadblock forcing police officer to leap to safety is jailed

Michael Seagar, 27, is starting 16 weeks behind bars for his dangerous driving on the A595 in Cumbria.

Seagar, of Bayswater Avenue, Town End Farm, claimed he did not see the officer’s hi-vis jacket or his marked car blocking the road.

He was arrested after turning his BMW around and driving back past the officer 20 minutes later, a court heard.

Police caught up with him at a caravan park where he was staying near the village of Gosforth on Thursday, July 21.

When breathalysed, the dad was over the drink drive limit and found to be driving without a licence or insurance.

Prosecutor Paul Anderson told South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court: “Police were at the scene of a road traffic accident.

“One officer was from the civil nuclear constabulary, based at a power station. He’d closed the road off with a marked vehicle.

“A BMW driver drove through the roadblock and the officer tried to stop him.

“The driver ignored him and continued to drive towards the officer, and the officer leapt out of the way.

“The officer was almost knocked over and the vehicle went away at speed.

“Twenty minutes later, it came back, and the officer tried to stop it again, but it went past him south in the A595.

“Officers who were looking into the case saw the driver driving into the Seven Acres caravan park with no lights on, and there was no road lighting.”

Mr Anderson added: “Mr Seagar was frank, admitting that he was over the limit but was saying he wasn’t driving dangerously.

“He said he didn’t see the marked car or the officer’s hi-vis, and that he was looking at the accident.”

Seagar pleaded guilty to drink driving, dangerous driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance at a hearing in Cumbria in August.

His sentencing hearing heard he gave a breath test reading of 61mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

Joanne Gatens, defending, said: “When he drove past the first time, he was concentrating on the accident, he thought it was a friend involved.

“He didn’t realise it was a roadblock. He didn’t know where he was and turned around to go back to the caravan park.

“It was foolish. In the panic of thinking his friend had been in an accident, he jumped in the car.

“It wasn’t prolonged bad driving, and it was not at speed, and he was not pursued by police. There are stabilising factors in his life.”

Seagar was jailed for 16 weeks for dangerous driving and four weeks for drink driving, to run concurrently.

He was also banned from driving for three years and must sit an extended test.

There was no separate penalty for the other offences, but he must pay a £154 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.