A man who drove into the gates of the Prime Minister’s residence has been jailed.
Matthew Wootten drove into the gates at Chequers, causing over £38,000 worth of damage.
The 44-year-old was driving along Missenden Road, Aylesbury when, instead of following the bend in the road, he deliberately steered towards Victory Gate at the entrance to the Chequers estate.
Making no attempt to slow down, Wootten smashed through the 80-year-old oak gates, significantly damaging them and seriously injuring himself.
Chequers, in Buckinghamshire, is the PM’s country estate
PA
Officers attended the scene on June 25 this year and found the vehicle.
Several cans of alcohol were discovered in the car, and he was found to be almost three times over the drink drive limit with a blood alcohol reading of 221 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80ml.
Wootten ultimately pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving, damaging property being reckless as to whether life is endangered, and driving a motor vehicle when alcohol level above limit.
He was sentenced at Reading Crown Court to a total of 32 months’ imprisonment. He was also handed a disqualification from driving for 40 months.
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The gates to the Chequers estate were damaged
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Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Thames and Chiltern Celia Mardon said: “CCTV footage showed that Wootten intentionally drove at speed towards the gates of the Chequers estate.
“The strength of this evidence, along with a significantly high alcohol blood reading, gave him little choice but to admit his guilt to the charges we authorised against him.
“Not only did Wootten cause significant damage to the Victory Gate, but he could also have put the lives of others at risk with his reckless driving.”
The Chequers estate, near the village of Ellesborough, has been the country home of the serving British Prime Minister since 1921.
Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Thames and Chiltern Celia Mardon said: “CCTV footage showed that Wootten intentionally drove at speed towards the gates of the Chequers estate”
PA
The estate was gifted to the nation by Conservative minister Sir Arthur Lee and his American heiress wife, Ruth.
The thinking behind that being “the better the health of our rulers, the more sanely will they rule”.
A stained-glass window in the building reads: “This house of peace and ancient memories was given to England as a thank-offering for her deliverance in the great war of 1914–1918 as a place of rest and recreation for her Prime Ministers for ever.”