Car dealer who drove 'flash' BMW dangerously was 'showing off'

A young man in a ‘flash’ high powered car crashed into two vehicles while recklessly trying to overtake on the brow of a hill.

A court heard that miraculously no-one was seriously injured in the collision.

Joshua Furmedge had been drinking before the terrifying incident and while on bail for the court proceedings he was convicted of a later drink driving offence and banned from the road for 22 months.

Putting him behind bars for 22 weeks Judge Alan Conrad, QC, said:”You were showing off in my judgement. It goes without saying the consequences could have been terrible. You particularly should have known better having been in a car accident earlier yourself and having suffered fractured ribs.”

He added: “I’m driven to the conclusion that this offence is so serious only custody can be justified.”

Liverpool Crown Court heard that Furmedge, who buys and sells cars, had a £26,000 on-line bingo win - some of which he used to buy another fast car - and the judge ordered him to pay £1,500 prosecution costs within three months.

He also banned Furmedge, 24, of Basford Way, Winsford, from driving for two years and 11 weeks. The defendant had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

Jade Tufail, prosecuting, said that the incident happened on February 4 last year on Clive Green Lane, Winsford as Furmedge was coming from the direction of Crewe.

Samantha Heath was driving her Mini in the opposite direction and she saw four headlights coming towards her over the brow of a dip. “She held on to the steering wheel and braked hard, fearing a collision.”

Furmedge, who had been overtaking a Peugeot driven by Victoria Hinds, attempted to swerve back on to the left hand side of the road but struck the rear driver’s side of the Peugeot and there was also an impact with the mini.

“All three vehicles ended up some distance from each other. It was a matter of extreme good luck that no-one was killed or seriously injured,” said Miss Tufail.

The defendant was breathalysed at the scene and was found to have 43 micrograms of alcohol in 100mll of breath but by the time he gave another sample at the police station he was under the drink driving limit.

“He said he had bought the BMW M3 three days earlier and had not expected the power of the car but denied that his driving had been dangerous, and he believed there had been sufficient room to perform the overtaking manoeuvre,” she said.

His previous convictions include putting a flashing blue light on his car and Judge Conrad commented ‘that was again showing off on the road’.

William Donnelly, defending, said: ”He was a young man in a flash car with perhaps an element of showing off. It was a misjudgement rather than serious or deliberate risk taking.”

“He had not been exceeding the speed and his speedometer had stopped at 48 mph at the time of the impact.

He said that his former partner has mental health issues and he cares for their 17-month-old daughter.

Mr Donnelly said that Furmedge had been diagnosed with ADHD and demonstrates impulsive behaviour.