March: School Bus Driver Jailed

20 December 2013, 13:24 | Updated: 20 December 2013, 16:41

A school bus driver from March, who crashed into two cars on the school run while high on drugs, has been jailed for six months.

25 year old Levi Pryke, Dartford Road in the Fenland town, appeared at Peterborough Crown Court today.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and two counts of failing to stop after a road collision. 

He was sentenced to six months in prison and disqualified for two years. 

Pryke was arrested after students reported his manner of driving to staff at Peterborough Regional College on Wednesday, September 11. 

He was driving the 'Sun Fun' single decker coach from Earith to Peterborough with students on board. 

He took a wrong turn in Warboys before colliding with a parked Ford Focus.

He then carried on to Bury and crashed into a parked Renault Kangoo van.

One student described it as a 'loud scraping and crunching sound and the bus shuddered'. 

On his route he also missed two bus stops causing the children to walk down the road to catch the bus. 

When officers arrived at the depot they found Pryke's speech was mumbled and his eyes were glazed. 

Following a breath test, PC Paddy Reeve carried out a Field Impairment Test which he failed and was arrested. 

A blood test was carried out and traces of cocaine, cannabis and benzodiazepines were found in Pryke's blood. 

PC Reeve, from the roads policing unit said: "We will not tolerate drug driving and will prosecute anyone who gets behind the wheel with drugs in their system. 

His arrest on the day may have saved the life of another road user or member of the public as driving while under the influence of drugs will increase the risk of having an accident. 

Pryke was in a position of substantial responsibility with students as young as 16 years old and I'm glad to see that he has been given a custodial sentence and banned from driving."

A spokesman for Pryke's former employers, Sun Fun Coach Hire, confirmed the reckless driver no longer worked for the company.