Speeding thief jailed after horrific crash leaves family battered
Wild chase ends in crash and injuries
Traffic officers spotted a stolen Ford EcoSport near Dartmouth Circus. Behind the wheel was 41-year-old David Poulton. He blasted off, driving on the wrong side of the road and smashing through red lights.
Poulton’s reckless chase ended on the wrong side of Heartlands Parkway, where he smashed into a VW T-Cross. Inside was a family of five — three adults and two children — on their way to Star City after visiting relatives for Eid.
Family left fighting for recovery
The collision left a five-year-old boy with a bleed on the brain, now in rehab relearning how to talk. His three-year-old brother escaped with minor injuries, but the adults suffered broken bones, including a broken femur.
Thief caught and slammed with jail time
Poulton was arrested after the crash just before 2pm on 30 April and treated for minor injuries. The stolen Ford had been taken from a Morrisons car park in Coventry back in February. At the time, Poulton was wanted for criminal damage and making threats.
With no fixed address and over 40 prior convictions, the career criminal pleaded guilty to a raft of charges: causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop for police, driving without insurance, handling stolen goods, possession of cannabis, and failing to provide a blood sample.
On Friday 10 November, Birmingham Crown Court sentenced him to six years behind bars and slapped an 18-year driving ban on him.
Police speak out on shocking case
“This was an appalling case of dangerous driving,” said Sgt Richard Adams of Birmingham CID. “He showed complete disregard for other road users. Once he decided to speed the wrong way down a busy road, a crash was always going to happen.”
“It was pure luck no one was killed. Thankfully, the family are all on the mend.”
