Mercedes driver causes three-car crash after taking cocaine

Elliott Leonard-Diss drove in a reckless manner between Uckfield and Hailsham where he eventually lost control of his silver Mercedes and smashed into other vehicles.

He had attempted to undertake traffic using a layby but lost control and ended up in a bush.

He was recorded overtaking and undertaking in a prolonged period of poor driving.

Police were called to the crash on the A22 Uckfield bypass at about 7.15am on May 28 this year.

A roadside breath test and a roadside DrugWipe test showed he was over the limit for alcohol and for cocaine.

He tested positive for 81 microgrammes (uhg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of breath. The legal limit is 35uhg.

In a separate blood test he tested positive for 82uhg of the chemical benzolecgonine, a breakdown of cocaine, per litre of blood. The legal limit is 50uhg.

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At Lewes Crown Court on  October 10  Leonard-Diss was disqualified from driving for three years and given a 14-month suspended prison sentence.

He pleaded guilty to four charges including dangerous driving, driving while over the alcohol limit, driving over the drug limit and driving without insurance.

Leonard-Diss, a property developer of Street End Lane, Heathfield, was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement sessions.

He must also pay a £187 surcharge.

The court heard he had been driving between 4am and 7am on the day of the crash.

Investigating officer PC Jessica Crump said: “Leonard-Diss showed no regard for other road users and it is sheer luck that he didn’t cause a fatality that day.

“There is no place for drink or drug driving on our roads and anyone contemplating driving dangerously will be dealt with.

“We are grateful to so many people who came forward after our appeal for information about his driving that morning.

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