Seth Ray, 29, of Red Lodge, jailed after head-on collision on B1112 Eriswell Road in Lakenheath leaves police officers injured

A man has been jailed for almost three years after two police officers were seriously injured in a head-on collision in 2022.

The incident was on Sunday, September 25 2022 on the B1112 Eriswell Road in Lakenheath, at 1.10am involving a grey BMW X5 and a white Peugeot 308 marked police car.

Seth Ray, 29, of Harebell Road in Red Lodge, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday where he was sentenced to two years and eight months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty at a previous hearing to two charges of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The police car was responding to an emergency with blue lights activated when it crashed head-on with the BMW, being driven by Ray, which was travelling towards the marked car on the wrong side of the road.

The driver and passenger, two male police officers, were seriously injured and Ray, along with members of the public, helped pull the officers from the car and provided first aid.

The officers were taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where their injuries were initially considered life-threatening.

One officer has since returned to work but requires knee surgeries while the other is still recovering and has not been able to resume his duties.

Ray was arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol after providing a roadside breath test.

However, though the test confirmed he had consumed alcohol prior to the collision, Ray was below the legal limit and a urine sample also concluded that his blood alcohol concentration was under the prescribed limit.

Detective Inspector Dave McCormack said: “The lives of the victims have been changed immeasurably as a result of this collision.

“One of the injured police officers returned to work in September 2023 but is expected to require knee ligament surgeries; the other is not yet well enough to return to work and is continuing with rehabilitation for his injuries.

“We may never know the full reason why Ray was on the wrong side of the road, but it is every motorist’s responsibility to drive with proper care and attention.

“Any lapse in concentration, whether that be through tiredness or being distracted, can have significant consequences.”

Dashcam footage from the police car showed the headlights of Ray’s BMW approaching on the wrong side of the road.

Analysis of CCTV in the local area and approach to the crash scene also showed a similar size and type of vehicle to the BMW was travelling over the central white line.

The BMW was recovered for examination and several defects were identified, including tyre damage, which deemed the vehicle to be illegal on the road.

While these defects are not believed to have contributed to the collision, analysis of Ray’s mobile phone indicated he was aware of the defects.

On November 16 2022, Ray was further arrested on suspicion of using a motor vehicle in a condition likely to cause danger or injury and later charged. This charge was left to lay on file.

Along with his imprisonment, Ray was also disqualified from driving for four years and four months and will be required to take an extended retest.