Dangerous driver from Horsham sentenced over high speed pursuit near Hassocks

Brandon Lee, 28, failed to stop for police while driving a Ford Fiesta on the A23 near Pyecombe.

Sussex Police said he drove down Clayton Hill on the A273 on the wrong side of the carriageway before losing control.

The vehicle hit a phone box on a bend, leaving a passenger in the vehicle with serious injuries in the wreckage.

Sussex Police said Lee was arrested and was charged with causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

At Lewes Crown Court on April 25 he appeared for sentencing after admitting the charge.

Police said Lee, of Forest Close, Horsham, was jailed for two years, and disqualified from driving for two years and eight months.

The court was told about how the incident happened after 2am on December 8, 2023.

Officers followed the Ford Fiesta as it drove out of Brighton on the A23, and activated blue lights after Lee reached speeds of 100mph in a 60mph zone.

Sussex Police said Lee failed to negotiate a left-hand bend after driving on the wrong side of the carriageway.

The road was closed while the vehicle was recovered, and a woman suffered life-changing injuries while travelling as a passenger, the force added.

Speaking after the case, Sergeant Joe McGregor from the Surrey and Sussex Roads Policing Unit said: “Lee’s driving was reckless and dangerous.

“We know that one in three collisions in Sussex occur because drivers are going too fast.

“Speeding is one of the main reasons why people are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

“Lee is incredibly lucky that he did not cause a fatality that night, but this collision continues to have a lasting impact on the victim.

“We are pleased that a dangerous driver has been taken off our roads.”