Woman panicked when police tried to stop her, court hears

A woman who said she panicked and failed to stop for police will have to wait until the new year to learn her fate.Shanell Carman, 25, of Donington Park, Leverington, admitted driving without insurance, driving while disqualified, careless driving, and driving while over the drug-drive limit when she appeared before magistrates at King’s Lynn on Thursday.The offences happened in Emneth on July 7 this year.

Stephen Munton, prosecuting, told magistrates that police in a marked car had carried out a computer check on a white Mitsubishi car as they drove along the A1122 in Outwell.The check showed the car was uninsured and so officers attempted to stop the vehicle.However, instead of stopping, the car, which had just one occupant, carried on driving with the police car with his lights and siren on following. Mr Munton said officers reported that the driver appeared to be unable to drive in a straight line.He said the ‘pursuit’ had gone on for two or three miles and lasted more than five minutes. The vehicle had eventually stopped in Church Road, Emneth.Once the car had stopped the officers spoke to the driver and carried out a drink-drive test, which proved negative, they then conducted a drug swipe which proved positive.A further test showed Carman had 4.2ugL of Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in her system, (the part of cannabis that makes you high) – the legal limit is 2. Mr Munton said Carman was already subject to a driving ban, which was due to run out next year.Ruth Johnson, mitigating, suggested magistrates might want a pre-sentence report before sentencing Carman.She explained Carman had not long taken on responsibility for her teenage siblings following the death of her mother, and as a result her mental health had suffered, and she was having grief counselling.Ms Johnson explained Carman had panicked when she saw the police car and had gone into “fight or flight mode” choosing to flee rather than stop . She said her client recognised it was an incredibly silly decision.Carman had been taking a meal to her grandfather at the time of the offence and had stopped when she arrived at his address.Magistrates agreed an all-options pre-sentence report would help their decision-making and adjourned the case until January 30.Carman was given an interim ban, although she was already disqualified, and unconditional bail.