Admitted at the Scene — Yet Cleared of Dangerous Driving in Court

Mr A was arrested following a serious road traffic incident involving dangerous driving, after a Prius failed to stop for police and struck a plain-clothes officer on a pedal cycle. After the vehicle was blocked by an unmarked police car, the occupants fled on foot. Mr A was found nearby with his hands raised.

At the scene, Mr A admitted to being the driver and to hitting the officer. However, when he later instructed criminal defence lawyers, his account changed significantly. He explained that he had been a front-seat passenger, not the driver. After the collision, those in the vehicle agreed that whoever was caught would take responsibility to protect the actual driver, a close friend who was on licence.

This early admission created serious complications in what was being treated as a dangerous driving first offence. Mr A was charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving and multiple driving offences. After taking full instructions, our defence lawyers advised him to plead not guilty and focused on excluding his roadside confession from evidence.

Our defence solicitors identified a clear breach of PACE. Mr A had not been cautioned until well after making the statement, despite already being handcuffed and treated as a suspect. Body-worn footage supported this, giving strong grounds for the defence lawyers to challenge the admissibility of the evidence.
The case took nearly five years to reach the Crown Court, during which Mr A left the country and faced an additional charge for failure to attend. Despite these delays, our criminal defence lawyers prepared a robust defence, obtaining full disclosure including body-worn footage, 999 calls and forensic records.

Beyond the confession, our defence lawyers exposed wider weaknesses in the prosecution case. There was no reliable evidence placing Mr A in the driver’s seat and no clear proof of dangerous driving, such as excessive speed or reckless manoeuvres. These arguments were central to the defence of what the prosecution alleged to be a dangerous driving first offence.

In light of these issues, the prosecution offered no evidence. Mr A was cleared of all charges and walked free after the first day of trial, following effective representation by experienced defence solicitors.
Through careful strategy and sustained pressure, our defence lawyers ensured that a moment of panic did not define Mr A’s future, allowing justice to be determined on evidence rather than assumption — underlining the importance of skilled defence solicitors in serious, dangerous driving cases.