Ipswich's only independent news website
We publish the stories that matter and champion everything that's good about our town – without the ads, popups or tracking
A disqualified motorist who boasted about outrunning traffic officers has been sentenced to 42 weeks in prison after he drove into a hedge in Whitton.
Why it matters: Thomas Gillingham, 20, continued to drive and mock police on social media despite being under a suspended sentence.
The details: Gillingham, of Somersham Road, Little Blakenham, appeared before Ipswich Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, 11 February, where he pleaded guilty to:
Two counts of driving whilst disqualified
Two counts of driving without insurance
One count of driving without due care and attention
One count of failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver
What happened: The offences began when Gillingham purchased a Volkswagen Eos online and drove to Shropshire to collect it on 5 January, despite being banned from driving.
Five days later, at 22:05 on 10 January, he fled from a marked police vehicle on Defoe Road, Ipswich, before crashing into a hedge on Whitton Church Lane at around 22:15.
The response: Officers spoke to Gillingham through his doorbell camera at 22:38 before tracking him to a nearby pub, where he attempted to escape on foot but was quickly caught and detained.
What they're saying: PC Tom Ives from the Roads and Armed Policing Team said: "Thomas Gillingham has shown his flagrant lack of respect for the criminal justice system by repeatedly offending and ignoring his disqualification from driving."
Acting Sergeant James Perrier added: "It is only by luck that on this occasion there was no one using the stretch of road that Gillingham crashed on, as if there had been then we may have been looking at a more serious outcome."
The background: Gillingham had previously received a 22-week suspended prison sentence in November 2024 for driving whilst disqualified. Following that conviction, he posted on Suffolk Constabulary's social media page: "Some say after recent events my driving is above the standard of the 'advanced drivers' in their traffic cars" and "Maybe their eyes are so much worse they can't keep up with me."
The bottom line: Gillingham will remain disqualified from driving until 2028 and must pay £239 in costs and surcharges.
We can't do this without you!
If you value strong, free, independent local media that fights tirelessly for our town, please consider contributing just £24 per year
