A 42 year old Stroud man who has served a seven year jail term for causing the deaths of two people by dangerous driving is back behind bars today after admitting a new offence of careless driving in a stolen Land Rover.

At Gloucester Crown Court on Monday (March 18) Judge Rupert Lowe told Sean Creed, of Welcomyn, Chalford Hill, that he had an appalling driving record and there was no alternative to an immediate custodial term of one year.

"In 2009, you caused the deaths of two people and seriously injured another, as well as yourself, for which you were imprisoned," said the judge.

"I'd like to think that somebody involved in such a serious collision would have learnt their lesson, but it seems you haven't."

Prosecutor Charlotte Evans told the court Creed's latest offence was committed when he was driving a 'traditional style Land Rover' that had hitherto been stored in the compound of a motor mechanic on the Chalford Industrial Estate in Stroud while awaiting repair.

"At some point overnight on February 15/16 2023, the vehicle was stolen," she said. "The vehicle came to the attention of police on patrol in an unmarked vehicle at 12.50am on Cheltenham Road East as it appeared to be driving in convoy with another vehicle.

"The police checked the Land Rover's details, but no alarms were raised. But as the officers pulled alongside the Land Rover, they noticed the driver was wearing gloves and had his face covered in a snood.

"The officers decided to drop back and follow the vehicle and when it approached a set of traffic lights at red, the police activated their blue lights, indicating for the driver to stop. PC Wood got out of the vehicle to challenge the driver but as the lights changed to green, the Land Rover sped off.

"The driver of the Land Rover then did a 180 degree turn and headed back down St Oswalds Road, clearly trying to avoid the police. The officers activated the blue lights and sirens and followed the driver in pursuit.

"The Land Rover first tried to turn into a car park, but the gates were closed, and he reversed back out on the dual carriageway and carried out another 180 degree turn at a junction. The driver then turned right into a dirt track having crossed the grass central reservation with no barriers.

"But when the police caught up with the Land Rover, the driver had decamped. He didn't get very far as PC Wood chased the man who was struggling to get over some barbed wire fencing, grabbed him, but the man tried to escape, and he was tasered by the officer."

The man, identified as Creed, was arrested in Walham Road. He was searched and found in possession of a knife in his pocket with a blade exceeding three inches. His phone was also seized.

Creed's phone was examined and revealed text messages between him and another person asking how to override a Land Rover's immobilisation device on February 11, 2023. In his last text message, he stated to another person that he was on his way and would take the vehicle to the usual car park.

The prosecutor suggested that Creed had made significant plans that included asking how to override the immobiliser and had covered his face and was wearing gloves while he was driving the vehicle. There was no evidence, however, that Creed had actually stolen the vehicle.

The court was told that the Land Rover was subjected to a mechanical inspection following the collision. It was noted that the wing mirror had been smashed during the pursuit and that the body had become detached from the main chassis, damaging much of the underside of the vehicle.

The owner felt that despite investing a lot of money into the Land Rover, totalling over £8,000 and was waiting for an electrical fault to be rectified, he felt he had no option but to sell it at a substantial loss.

Catherine Spedding, defending said: "When Creed was involved in the collision that caused the death of two people in 2009, it also left him disabled having suffered a shattered leg and a brain injury, which still affects him today. He was released from this prison sentence on parole in 2014 and has stayed out of trouble until now. He has been unable to work because of his continuing disabilities.

"Creed accepts his part in the Land Rover enterprise, but he emphasises that he wasn't the one who stole the vehicle."

Creed pleaded guilty to careless driving of a motor vehicle on February 16, 2023, namely a Land Rover on Tewkesbury Road and St Oswald Road He also admitted handling the stolen vehicle and possessing a knife which had a cutting edge of which exceeded 7.62cms in Walham Road on February 16, 2023.

Judge Lowe told Creed: "You are aged 42 with 21 previous convictions, most of them for motoring offences. I've already outlined my thoughts on this.

"However, I am told that you were signed off sick 14 years ago following this major collision because of your own injuries, rendering you incapable of work.

"But it didn't stop you from committing a serious crime. Your latest offending was a well-planned operation in which you investigated how to disable an immobiliser before the vehicle was stolen and after it had been taken, and you were driving it, you sent a message that you were delivering it to 'the usual car park'.

"You wore gloves so as not to leave fingerprints and wore a snood to cover your face. When the police activated the blue lights there is no hesitation that you drove carelessly, doing U-turns on dual carriageway junctions and crossing over central reservations.

"Your actions forced the owner of the Land Rover to sell the vehicle at a substantial financial loss."

The judge sentenced Creed to a prison term of 12 months and banned him for driving for six months from the day he is released from prison. He also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the knife.

***In October 2010 Creed was jailed for seven years at Gloucester Crown Court for causing the deaths of passengers Jade Turley, 16, and Paul Workman, 38, and badly injuring Jade's sister Amber, 19, when he crashed his car while drunk.

The court heard he had drunk at least 7 pints of cider, ignored pleas from one of his passengers to slow down and 'drove as though he was invincible, throwing all caution to the wind.'

Creed, who had no driving licence and had never taken a test, lost control of the red Subaru Impreza when it aquaplaned on a rain-soaked country lane and smashed into a stone wall.

Creed and his passengers had been on their way from a pub in Minchinhampton on December 8, 2009, to buy kebabs in Tetbury and had travelled just three and a miles when the crash happened.

Experts estimated that at the time of the horrific collision he had between 100 and 180 mgs of alcohol per 100mls of blood. The legal limit is 80mgs.

The court had been told that Creed had a bad driving record with five court appearances over the previous nine years for drunk driving, twice driving while banned and making off from the scene of two accidents without reporting them.