Suspended sentence for drunk Cambridgeshire driver who collided with police car

A MAN who was involved in a head on collision with a marked police car while drink driving has been handed an eight month prison sentence suspended for two years.

Kiran Jayanti Panchal, 30, of Aston Close, Yaxley, pleaded guilty at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday (March 2) to dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol.

Panchal was driving a white Mercedes which hit a police car head-on on Thrapston Road, Brampton, on Sunday, December 4 at around 1.40am.

Panchal blew 84 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath, more than twice the legal limit of 35mg.

Alongside the suspended sentence Panchal was also disqualified from driving for two years and ordered to undertake 150 hours unpaid work. He will also need to take an extended retest to reclaim his licence after the disqualification.

Sergeant Simon Goldsmith said: “This was a serious collision and it is fortunate that neither the officers in the police vehicle nor Panchal were seriously injured.

“This is a stark reminder of the dangers of drink driving and the sentence reflects the seriousness of the offence.”