M27 driver led police on 110mph chase before crashing

Delivery driver Rafal Krasinski, of Vaudry Close, Shirley, took off from police at "excessive speed" after he was spotted in the Ashley Road area of Bournemouth, Southampton Crown Court heard. 

From there he drove along the A338, using the grass verges to undertake and overtake vehicles before joining the A31. 

The incident happened at around 1.43pm with the pursuing officer, who was driving at 110mph, struggling to keep up with the 32-year-old. 

Assistance was called for and a police helicopter assisted in the pursuit as Krasinski continued to carry out "highly dangerous manoeuvres",  swerving across all four lanes and using the hard shoulder.

He joined a busy M27 and was travelling between two vehicles when he crashed, colliding with a Volkswagen Golf before coming to a rest against the central reservation. 

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But in an effort to escape, he got out of the car and ran in front of traffic from the wreckage, before returning to collect a rucksack. 

He later dropped this on the hard shoulder though as he leapt over the barrier and hid in an area of undergrowth. 

Police found him in a bush and took him back to the roadside where he began to sweat and was put in the recovery position. 

The incident took place on September 1, 2023, and covered around 20 miles of road, coming to an end just after the Rownhams Services slip road.

Traffic on the day Rafal Krasinski crashed. (Image: National Highways)

No one was injured.

After being taken to hospital, he admitted he had been drinking and took speed that morning, but he was not found to be above the legal limit for either substance. 

Prosecuting, Keely Harvey said the chase had started when officers formed suspicious having seen a group of six known drug dealers before noticing Krasinski driving around in a hired vehicle. 

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She said he had made a "deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road" and drove off at a speed "significantly in excess of the speed limit". 

He was on police bail at the time and later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Southampton Magistrates' Court.

An interim disqualification was put in place, but on March 30 Krasinski was seen driving a BMW in Southampton, undertaking a police vehicle before joining a bus lane. 

He was stopped and checks confirmed he was disqualified and was therefore driving without insurance as well. 

He later also pleaded guilty to these offences, claiming he was not aware of the driving ban.

Mitigating, Eve Shelley said her client is "extremely remorseful for how he behaved", adding that he has an "understanding of the consequences of his offending".

"As a result of this offence and his guilty plea, he has now lost his good character.

"He has lost his employment as a delivery driver and he has lost his licence."

Rafal Krasinski (Image: Hampshire police)

But Recorder Don Tait said this is a "serious offence".  "The nature of your driving on that day caused real danger to other road users.

"You tried to evade the police and you drove at excessive speed and you drove in a very reckless manner.

"You pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and I will allow full credit. But overall I consider you to be a danger to other road users."

Krasinski placed his head against the glass of the dock and wept as he was jailed for 14 months on Wednesday.  He was also banned from driving for three years and seven months.