A disqualified driver who crashed into a wall, seriously injuring a pedestrian and his passenger, has been jailed.

Police were on patrol on the A259 at Hastings in the early hours of July 1st 2019 when they spotted a yellow Fiat Punto which accelerated away from them, reaching speeds of up to 70mph in the 30mph zone.

Officers activated their blue lights and pursued the vehicle, which made a sudden right turn into Warrior Square, and crashed into a member of public and a brick wall.

The 27-year-old male pedestrian and the 22-year-old female passenger in the car, both from the local area, sustained serious injuries which required hospital treatment.

The driver was uninjured and was identified as Rhys Kersey, unemployed, and of no fixed address.

Enquiries revealed he had been disqualified from driving for 24 months at South West London Magistrates’ Court on February 28th 2017 for dangerous driving.

He was subsequently arrested and charged with driving while disqualified, failing to stop when required by police, driving without insurance and failing to stop after a road traffic collision.

He pleaded guilty to all four offences, and at Lewes Crown Court on March 2nd and was sentenced to a total of five years and seven months’ imprisonment. He was also disqualified from driving for four years and six months.

Investigating officer, Sergeant Pete Swash, of the Sussex Roads Policing Unit, said: “Kersey’s sentence reflects not only the seriousness of his crimes, but also his total disregard for the safety of himself and others.

“With a history of convictions for driving offences, it is clear he has failed to take responsibility for his actions, and that has ultimately landed him in prison. He seriously injured two innocent people and it could have been a whole lot worse.

“We will continue to proactively patrol our county’s roads in order to keep everyone safe and to deal robustly with anyone who compromises this.”