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Driver cracks open a Stella before wrapping van around tree | News UK

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2 hours ago

23 December 2025

Driver cracks open a Stella before wrapping van around tree | News UK

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This is the moment a man seriously injured two people in a crash after cracking open a can of Stella while driving at more than 80mph.

John Doocey, 30, was driving a Nissan NT400 flatbed van along the A133 in Frating, Essex, at around 7 pm on August 3 this year.

After attempting a dangerous overtake in ‘extremely poor conditions’, his vehicle began to fishtail, leaving the road, rolling and hitting a tree.

One of his passengers was able to get out of the vehicle, but the other was trapped until the arrival of emergency services to free them.

Doocey, of Trimley St Martin, Suffolk, has now been jailed for three years after the footage emerged.

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He cracked the can while driving 80mph (Picture: Essex Police)

pictured John Doocey Work by specialist roads policing officers has ensured a driver who caused a collision that seriously injured two has been jailed. Our officers identified John Doocey was driving a Nissan NT400 flatbed van at 90mph along the A133 at Frating on around 7.05pm on 3 August this year. They established he had attempted a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre during extremely poor conditions, with heavy rainfall limiting visibility and leaving significant standing water on the road. Shortly after the overtake, Doocey lost control of his vehicle which fishtailed, left the carriageway, rolled, and hit a tree. One of his passengers was able to get out of the vehicle but the other was trapped until emergency services were able to get him out. The passenger who was trapped sustained a potentially life-changing spinal injury while the other was left with a broken ankle. Doocey, 30, of High Road, Trimley St. Martin in Suffolk was arrested at the scene and later charged with two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He admitted the charges at Ipswich Crown Court on 8 October and, at the same court on Friday 31 October, was jailed for three years. He has also been given a three year disqualification and will have to undertake an extended retest. — John Doocey has been jailed for three years (Picture: Essex Police)

Essex Police released footage from Doocey’s phone showing him opening a can of Stella Artois just moments before the crash.

A force spokesman said: ‘It’s an example of the reckless behaviour our officers are working hard to identify and tackle each and every day.’

PC Harry Townsend added: ‘Driving is a privilege and not a right, and John Doocey’s actions were reckless.

‘He paid no attention to the conditions and drove way above his capability, causing a collision which has had a significant impact. He is responsible for his two passengers being left with injuries which could affect them for the rest of their lives.

‘More than 50 people have died on Essex’s roads, and speed has been a contributing factor to several of the most serious incidents that we’ve seen. If you’re behind the wheel, you have a responsibility to look after the other people in your vehicle and the other people on the road.

‘Looking at the speed and reckless nature of John Doocey’s driving, this collision could easily have been a fatal one.

‘I am pleased he will not be able to get back in the driver’s seat of a vehicle for the foreseeable future.’

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