Dangerous Driver Banned After Drifting Through Crowds and Car Parks
A man who repeatedly put lives at risk by performing dangerous drifting stunts on public roads and in car parks has been banned from driving.
Pawel Maria Abratanski, 34, of Alexandra Road, Southampton, was sentenced today (26 January) at Southampton Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to four counts of dangerous driving.
The court heard that Abratanski was identified as the driver in multiple dangerous incidents last year, including one at a car meet in the Asda car park in Havant on 4 May. Video footage from the event showed him drifting through the middle of a large crowd in a 24-hour car park accessible to members of the public.
Further clips found on his phone showed him driving dangerously at Tollgate in Eastleigh on 17 August, at Blackbushe Business Park in Yateley on 6 December, and on Parkway in Whiteley on 15 December.
Abratanski was also sentenced for failing to identify the drivers of two other vehicles linked to these car meets, and for using a vehicle in a dangerous condition due to serious defects in his Nissan Silvia.
Sentence
• Driving ban: 2 years, with an extended retest required before driving again
• Unpaid work: 200 hours
• Vehicle seized and ordered to be crushed
• Imprisonment: 8 months, suspended for 18 months
Police Sergeant James Hall of the Roads Policing Unit commented on the case:
“All these videos show a pattern of behaviour where the defendant was showing off and repeatedly putting bystanders and other motorists at serious risk of injury or worse.
In these clips you can see people stood around and watching, just inches away from the cars at some points. All it takes is for the driver to lose control for a split second and they could crash into the spectators, so please don’t attend these car meets even just to watch.
These clips show an embarrassing display of recklessness and stupidity by the defendant and he has now been apprehended before his actions could cause any injuries or fatalities.”
The court ruling serves as a stark warning against dangerous driving and the risks posed by illegal car meets.
