Jail for Doncaster drink-driver who fled from police in his underwear

A Doncaster drink-driver, who escaped police arrest while in his underwear, has been put behind bars.
Parkinson was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on TuesdayParkinson was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday
Parkinson was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday

Sheffield Crown Court heard how the incident took place after Gavin Parkinson was seen by an officer, as he was driving drunk on the evening of September 17 last year.

Instead of stopping when asked, Parkinson abandoned the vehicle he was driving in Wellington Street, Mexborough, but officers were able to trace him to his home address in Junction Road, Stainforth.

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Parkinson answered the door in his boxer shorts, and officers arrested him after they detected the smell of alcohol on his breath, said David Wain, prosecuting.

He added: "An initial test showed he had 69 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath, so nearly twice the legal limit."

Mr Wain told the court that Parkinson was put into the back of a police car with one officer, while the other officer went back into the property to pick up some clothes for him because he was still in his underwear when he was arrested.

"He climbed into the front seat, forcing an officer to the floor, made his way out of the vehicle and escaped," added Mr Wain.

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Parkinson subsequently handed himself into the police, and pleaded guilty to charges of escaping police custody, driving without insurance, and driving a motor vehicle otherwise in accordance with the law at an earlier hearing.

Kevin Jones, prosecuting, told the court that Parkinson had been 'drinking to excess' on the night of the incident and took his partner's car without her permission.

"He fully accepts he had been drinking," said Mr Jones, adding that Parkinson had been suffering from a condition for the last 12 years which drastically affected his eyesight and meant his eye lashes had to be pulled out on a daily basis.

But instead of regarding Parkinson's condition as a mitigating factor, Judge David Dixon said it made the fact he decided to get behind the wheel while drunk even more dangerous.

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"This is a man with eyesight difficulties, who is drunk, getting into a car," said Judge Dixon, and jailed Parkinson for seven months.

He added: "I suppose that some may say, a seven-month sentence doesn't send any message out at all. But the message is to go out that if an officer dealing with you puts you under arrest, you are not to escape from that."

Judge Dixon also banned Parkinson, who only holds a provisional license, from driving for one year.