Dangerous driver from Peterborough sentenced for crashes on A47 in Rutland

A driver who caused two crashes has been sentenced for dangerous driving.

Lee Hopps, 36, of Caldbeck Close, Peterborough, was driving his Alfa Romeo Giulietta along the A47 in Rutland on Saturday, September 4, 2021 when he hit another car.

He carried on his journey travelling towards Leicester.

Hopps continued to drive along the A47 on the wrong side of the road, ignoring double white lines, driving unnecessarily over hatched markings, into oncoming turning lanes, straddling the middle of the carriageway and overtaking multiple vehicles causing him to narrowly avoid oncoming traffic.

He then caused a high-speed head-on crash on the A47 near Belton-in-Rutland with another vehicle again travelling in the opposite direction.

East Midlands Ambulance Service, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and Leicestershire Police attended the scene.

Hopps required medical treatment and was interviewed by officers days later. Nobody was seriously injured as a result of either of the crashes.

He denied failing to stop and driving dangerously despite officers having information from several witnesses stating he was driving in a dangerous manner.

He was later charged with dangerous driving and failing to stop at the scene of a collision. He pleaded guilty to the dangerous driving offence at Loughborough Magistrates’ Court in November 2022. The failing to stop charge was discontinued. Dashcam footage played a key part in the evidence of the case.

Hopps was sentenced to 27 months in prison at Lincoln Crown Court today (Wednesday, May 17).

He was also disqualified from driving for a period of 37 months and will have to take an extended retest.

His sentence also included driving a vehicle while unfit through drugs on May 19, 2022 on the A17 in Swineshead.

Attending officer PC Jake Spruce said: “This driver’s actions that day could have resulted in serious injury, or even a fatality.

“The fact that no other road user, or Hopps himself, was seriously injured as a result of the collisions or his driving that morning is very fortunate.

“Despite this, Hopps still caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to multiple vehicles, along with the attendance of multiple emergency services as well a full road closure on a busy road affecting many peoples commutes and weekend journeys.

“I would like to thank the victims and witnesses for their patience in this investigation which has finally concluded at court some months on. Disappointingly, Hopps initially pleaded not guilty at the hearing in March last year, adding a further unnecessary months to this case.”