This Is Guernsey

A MENTALLY ill man who skipped three red lights during a police chase was given a suspended prison sentence in the Magistrate’s Court.

Gerald Fletcher, 54, is bipolar, the modern name for manic depression. He admitted dangerous driving and failing to stop for police when he appeared in court.

His three-month sentence was suspended for two years and he was taken off the roads for three years. The court heard that Fletcher, of 2, Courtil Bris, Skins Lane, St Peter Port, committed the offences just after midnight on 26 January.

Police following him along Les Varendes saw him cross the central white line twice before turning left into Foote’s Lane and hitting the kerb.

The officers switched on their car’s blue lights and the car in front of the accused’s pulled over.

Fletcher passed that vehicle and went through a red light into Les Ozouets.

He overtook a car and turned left into Collings Road.

An unmarked police car joined the chase, also with blue lights flashing.

Two oncoming cars were forced onto the pavement.

Fletcher took a left turn into La Couture and right into La Vrangue at a speed of between 40 and 45mph.

He overtook another car, forcing an oncoming vehicle onto the pavement, and went past a No Entry sign into Mont Arrive on the wrong wide of the road.

Officers stopped him using a roadblock at the junction of Les Buttes and Fosse Andre.

Fletcher refused to get out and locked his car’s doors.

A window had to be smashed to get him out.

The defendant told police that he was not drunk and did not drink.

He said that he just did not want to stop.

‘That was a bit of a laugh, wasn’t it?’ he said.

Fletcher admitted speeding offences for doing 51 and 57mph in 35mph zones on 3 January and 16 December respectively.

Advocate Chris Green apologised to the court on his client’s behalf.

He explained that Fletcher suffered a relapse of his condition triggered by the death of his brother.

He said that he was seriously ill at the time of the incident and medical evidence backed that up.

Advocate Green said there was a low likelihood of Fletcher reoffending and said the court should take an exceptionally sympathetic view.

Assistant-Magistrate Philip Robey said that while a doctor had attributed the defendant’s driving to being mentally unwell, Fletcher had still made choices and a prison sentence was merited.

But in the circumstances, he said he was prepared to suspend it.