Man sentenced after admitting offences following collision

A 40-year-old man has been given a suspended prison sentence and banned from driving, after admitting a number of offences following a road traffic collision in Barrow.

Mark Clair, of no fixed address, appeared at Ipswich Magistrates’ Court (pictured above) on Wednesday, February 18, where he was jailed for six months, suspended for 12 months, and also disqualified from driving for 12 months.

Clair had previously pleaded guilty to the following seven offences:

driving a vehicle whilst unfit through drugs;

two counts of criminal damage;

possession of a bladed article (knife) in a public place;

driving without valid motor insurance;

driving otherwise in accordance with a licence; and

possession of a controlled drug of class B (cannabis)

The incident took place on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at just before 9pm when officers were called to reports of a single-vehicle road traffic collision at The Street, Barrow.

Clair, the driver of the car involved, had left the scene and run off into the gardens of nearby properties damaging fencing.

Police attended the scene and located Clair a short time later in the back garden of a property and arrested him on suspicion of driving whilst unfit though drugs.

A knife and cannabis were recovered from inside the vehicle.

He was subsequently charged on November 13 and first appeared before magistrates on Monday, January 19, when he pleaded guilty to all seven offences.

At last week’s sentencing hearing, Clair was also ordered to do 20 days of rehabilitation activity and to pay a total of £200 in compensation to the victims of the criminal damage.