Suspended sentence for suspected drink driver who caused almost £30,000 of damage by crashing his car into Wisbech home

A suspected drink driver crashed into a house, causing nearly £30,000 of damage, before running away and later claiming his car had been stolen.

Police were called in the early hours of August 21, 2021, by a member of the public who said a car had crashed through the front wall of a house on Mount Pleasant Road, Wisbech.

Officers and firefighters arrived to discover Michael Wilson’s silver Audi A3 in the living room with the driver’s airbag inflated.

Everyone in the house at the time was upstairs in bed.

Investigations later revealed the collision had caused more than £28,000 worth of damage to the house itself and £1,000 of damage to items in the living room.At about 10.30am that day, Wilson, 34, called police to say he had been burgled. He claimed he had woken up after a night out drinking to find the front door of his house in Acacia Avenue, Wisbech, open.

He said the Audi had been stolen, together with a watch, earring and £200 in cash.

Enquiries were made to locate the “stolen” vehicle and revealed the car had been recovered from the scene of the collision.

The airbag was analysed by forensic officers and Wilson’s DNA found on it.

Wilson denied making a false statement to cover the fact he was drunk, had crashed his car and run off, but in February he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, intending to pervert the course of justice and criminal damage at Cambridge Crown Court.

He was sentenced at Huntingdon Law Courts on Friday (24 March), where he was handed two years in prison, suspended for two years, however, he was ordered to complete 160 hours of unpaid work and pay £12,000 in compensation to the victims, at a cost of £500 per month.

DC Pete Wise, who investigated, said: “This was an incredibly scary incident for the occupants of the house.

“The CCTV captures the alarming and destructive moment Wilson crashes his car through the wall into the living room at speed.

“It is lucky the two people in the house at the time were upstairs in bed - otherwise the consequences could have been much more serious.

“We take actions of this nature very seriously and justice always prevails in the end.”

People can help make the roads of Cambridgeshire safer for everyone by confidentially reporting others they suspect of driving while under the influence of drink or drugs.

The force’s dedicated, confidential drink driving hotline: 0800 032 0845 is available 24/7.

For more information or advice about drink driving, the penalties and the dangers it can cause, visit the Cambridgeshire Police website.