South Tyneside man fled from court in an attempt to avoid being jailed

Lee Miller, 41, of Stoddart Street, Tyne Dock, scarpered after being warned his crimes were worthy of prison time.

He sneaked from the borough’s magistrates’ court after District Judge Zoe Passfield briefly adjourned proceedings to consider full sentence.

When she returned to courtroom 3 around 15 minutes later, Miller’s solicitor confirmed he had gone.

In his absence, Judge Passfield jailed him for 10 weeks – then issued a warrant for his arrest.

She also banned him from driving for 49 months for failing to provide a sample for analysis after a crash near the Tyne Tunnel on Friday, November 24.

The court heard uninsured and unlicensed Miller was involved in a two-vehicle accident on the southbound A19 dual carriageway at Jarrow.

After alighting from his motor, he drank a bottle of beer by the roadside and tried to persuade the other driver not to call police.

Prosecutor Paul Coulson said: “The evidence comes from an officer who attended the entrance of the Tyne Tunnel at 9.50pm.

“He found a two-vehicle road traffic collision and that the defendant had left the seat of a Seat Leon.

“His speech was slurred, his eyes were glazed, and he smelled of intoxicating liquor.

“He became aggressive in the police vehicle, and he hit the window with his handcuffs. He was taken out and secured on the ground.

“He was then taken to hospital for a medical assessment. He said he had had a bottle of Brown Ale after the collision while awaiting assistance.

“A statement from the other driver said that the defendant was with a female and three children in the vehicle.

“The defendant tried to persuade her to sort the matter out without calling the police, but the police were called.

“He refused to provide a sample until he had spoken to a solicitor. It was a deliberate refusal.”

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Miller pleaded guilty to failing to provide a sample for analysis, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.

He has 62 previous convictions from 147 offences but had not been before a court since becoming a father in 2017.

He was subject to a minimum three-year roads’ disqualification due to a conviction of driving while disqualified in the past decade.

Annalisa Moscardini, defending, said: “He has been out of trouble since the birth of his first child. He had a very lengthy record to then.

“He has changed things around since then and has since had another two children. He bitterly regrets not giving a sample for analysis.

“There was a crash which he didn’t think was his fault. The front of his car was taken off. He was upset that the other driver was not breathalysed.”

The judge ordered Miller to pay a £154 victim surcharge, There were no court costs.