logo
Disqualified driver collides with police car on A2 in Kent

Disqualified driver collides with police car on A2 in Kent

ITV News30-05-2025

WATCH: The moment a disqualified driver collides with a police car on the A2 in Kent
Credit: Essex Police, video contains flashing images
A disqualified driver collided with a marked police car as he tried to leave the A2 in Kent while being chased by Essex Police.
Harmash Bunger left the scene of the collision in South Ockendon, in Thurrock, and refused to stop for police.
Roads policing officers from Essex, supported by colleagues from Kent, tracked the driver across two counties before stopping him as he tried to lose them on a busy A road.
Once arrested, police said he refused to provide a specimen of breath for a roadside alcohol test
Following the incident on Friday 21 March, the 47-year-old pleaded guilty to seven offence including:
Dangerous driving
Failing to stop at the scene of an accident
Refusing to provide a specimen for analysis
Driving while disqualified
Driving with no insurance
Careless driving
Failing to stop when requested by an officer
Essex Police said: "Witnesses reported that Bunger had been seen leaving a South Ockendon pub and had told police they thought he was 'very drunk' and that he was 'stumbling and falling over'.
"Bunger had got into a VW Golf and less than 10 minutes later collided with a moped rider, who was thrown from his bike. Thankfully only suffering minor injuries.
"Roads policing officers spotted the Golf and indicated for the driver to pull over, he refused and drove away after colliding with officer's car. Officers then initiated the pursuit."
He has been jailed for 16 months and disqualified from driving for 44 months.
He has also been ordered to take an extended driving test.
Adam Pipe, head of Roads Policing from Essex Police, said: "This is a particularly horrifying piece of dangerous driving which put other roads users at risk.
"Bunger has displayed a flagrant disregard for the safety of himself and others.
"After making a poor decision to break the law and get behind the wheel, he then collided with a moped driver before continuing to drive in a way which put further road users' lives at risk.
"He ignored officers repeated attempts to stop him from driving and this criminal behaviour was only stopped by officers' quick reactions as he attempted to exit the A2.
"Somebody could have easily been killed or seriously injured as a direct result of his actions.
"We will not tolerate this type of driving in Essex and, let me be clear, we will ensure anyone who breaks the law on our roads is brought before the courts."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Essex Police dog sniffs out £20,000 during Harlow raid
Essex Police dog sniffs out £20,000 during Harlow raid

BBC News

timea day ago

  • BBC News

Essex Police dog sniffs out £20,000 during Harlow raid

A crime-fighting dog posed proudly with £20,000 in cash after sniffing it out inside a suspected drugs was let off the leash to make the discovery at a property in Northwoods, Harlow, on from Essex Police also found items believed to be Class A and Class B drugs, as well as "offensive weapons".They arrested a man, 19, and a 38-year-old woman on suspicion of drug and weapons offences, later releasing them on bail pending further inquiries. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

How five men stole £4.75m toilet from Blenheim Palace in just five minutes
How five men stole £4.75m toilet from Blenheim Palace in just five minutes

Scottish Sun

time2 days ago

  • Scottish Sun

How five men stole £4.75m toilet from Blenheim Palace in just five minutes

The full details of the raid and how two guilty suspects were brought to justice can be revealed JUSTICE CISTERN How five men stole £4.75m toilet from Blenheim Palace in just five minutes Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AS bathroom breaks go, it was a quickie. Five men took just five minutes to steal a £4.75million solid gold toilet from Blenheim Palace, the Oxfordshire birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill. The gang smashed their way into the stately home with sledge- hammers in the early hours. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 A gang broke into Blenheim Palace to steal a £4.75million solid gold toilet Credit: PA 9 The raiders were armed with sledge-hammers and took just five minutes to seize the toilet Credit: Matrix Pictures 9 The criminals rolled the 98kg lavatory out of the palace and into a waiting VW Golf getaway car Credit: CPS Their goal was the 98kg 18-carat gold lavatory, an installation by conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan called America that was installed in the palace just a week earlier. The masked raiders ripped the working WC from the wall, causing water to cascade from cut pipes, then rolled it out of the palace and into a waiting VW Golf getaway car. But within ten days of the ­audacious raid on September 14, 2019, police were being told the name of the man believed to be responsible: James 'Jimmy' Sheen. Detective Superintendent Bruce Riddell said 'community intelligence' — code for being ratted out — provided Sheen's name. The head of specialist operations at Thames Valley Police added: 'He went to hospital the day after for an injury to his hand, which we think he got from going through the ­window. "And as the investigations unfolded, thousands of the evidence exhibits were linked to him. 'On his phones we found voice messages of him trying to sell the gold. "Then we found traces of gold in his pockets, and in a flatbed lorry there was a pair of gloves containing fragments of the gold and his DNA.' 'Evidence overwhelming' The career criminal — a member of the traveller community — will have another four years to think about where his heist has landed him, added to the 19 years he is already doing inside. Jailing him at Oxford Crown Court yesterday, Judge Ian Pringle blasted: 'This bold and brazen heist took no more than five-and-a-half minutes to complete. 'America' has never been seen again.' Sir Winston Churchill's birthplace, Blenheim Palace, gets new autonomous robot tour guide that looks like Dalek from Doctor Who Sheen was out of jail on licence when he planned the Blenheim raid. He had received 14 years in 2010 when an innocent couple got caught in the spray from a shotgun during a shoot-out in ­Coventry with a rival traveller clan. Builder Sheen, 40, ran a burglary gang from his slick end-of-terrace home on an Oxford council estate. They broke into the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket in May 2020, making off with the Ascot Gold Vase and two Doncaster cups, and stole tractors and other farm equipment, making an estimated £2.6million within a year. Sheen also conned elderly customers out of hundreds of thousands of pounds for dodgy building work. 9 James Sheen was already in jail for 19 years - and has had an extra four years added to the sentence Credit: PA 9 Co-defendant Michael Jones was locked up for 27 months for helping plan the raid Credit: PA Yesterday Oxford Crown Court heard how Sheen's burglaries had grown more bold. His lawyer, Michael Neofytou, described the raid as 'crude', adding: 'It didn't have the hallmarks of a sophisticated heist.' The burglary leader pleaded guilty to conspiracy to burgle. The evidence against James Sheen was so overwhelming he had no choice but to plead guilty. Det Supt Riddell Co-defendant Michael Jones, 39, who had worked for Sheen's building company, was locked up for 27 months for helping plan the raid. The roofer — first convicted at the age of 13 — was found guilty in March of burglary. Yesterday, a judge said he wasn't satisfied Jones was one of the five masked men who actually took the golden loo. He had denied that a visit to see the sparkly toilet the day before it was stolen was a reconnaissance trip, and described the experience of using it for real as 'splendid'. Sheen and four others smashed through two locked gates in a pair of stolen cars. They then broke a side window and splintered two more doors before prising the 18-carat loo from the wall. Sheen's DNA was found on one of the hammers that was left behind. Red-faced palace bosses admitted that the exhibit — which had been installed at Blenheim days earlier — was not covered by CCTV. Chief executive Dominic Hare later told the BBC: 'We took possession of this precious item and managed to lose it within a day.' Cops found a mountain of dodgy messages on Sheen's phone. Two days after the raid, as he was laid up in hospital having an operation on an infected hand, Sheen texted gold dealer pal Fred Doe: 'I got something right up your path.' 9 Sheen and four others smashed through two locked gates in a pair of stolen cars Credit: PA 9 Sheen's DNA was found on one of the hammers that was left behind in the raid Credit: CPS The pair tried to flog the loot in London's Hatton Garden area. Det Supt Riddell said: 'The evidence against James Sheen was so overwhelming he had no choice but to plead guilty.' None of the gold has ever been recovered — but cops believe the toilet was broken up between the five thieves. Prosecutors say Sheen had tried to sell the gold to Bora Guccuk, a boyfriend of glam Instagram model Chloe Othen, but the deal collapsed. Hatton Garden jeweller Guccuk, 41, was cleared of money laundering in March. Doe, 36, was found guilty but spared jail last month for his part in trying to sell on the metal. Sheen's WhatsApps suggest he pawned his share in Birmingham, pocketing £520,000. Det Supt Bruce Riddell is now focusing on recouping Sheen's ill-gotten gains. He said: 'Trading Standards have already identified almost £200,000 worth of assets that they're in the process of recovering.' The seasoned cop is also trying to bring the three other members of the five-strong heist gang to justice. He appealed for anyone with information about the outstanding raiders to come forward, adding: 'Relationships and allegiances change over the years.' 9 Red-faced palace bosses admitted the exhibit — which had been installed at Blenheim days earlier — was not covered by CCTV Credit: Getty

Littlebury crash near Saffron Walden sparks police appeal
Littlebury crash near Saffron Walden sparks police appeal

BBC News

time3 days ago

  • BBC News

Littlebury crash near Saffron Walden sparks police appeal

Detectives have appealed for dash cam footage after a "serious collision" on a country involved one car and happened in Littlebury, near Saffron Walden in Essex, in the early hours of remained at the scene in Strethall Road in the afternoon, shutting the route in both directions."If you were in the area earlier today and witnessed a collision or have dash cam footage of the incident, please get in contact," an Essex Police spokesman said. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store