A man from Dagenham has been charged after a police pursuit through Croydon ended with a car crashing into a house late on Monday night.
Christiano Zampieri, 37, of Becontree Avenue, Dagenham, was arrested on Monday, 26 October, after a car allegedly failed to stop for officers on Lower Addiscombe Road at around 11.30pm. The pursuit ended when the car collided with a building on Portland Road in South Norwood.
Zampieri was charged the following day, Tuesday, 27 October, with four driving offences and has been released on bail. He is due to appear at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 20 November.
What happened on Portland Road
According to the Metropolitan Police, the pursuit began at around 11.30pm on Lower Addiscombe Road after a car failed to stop for officers. The car then collided with a building on Portland Road.
Local reporting from the scene described a black Hyundai Tucson that had ended up against the external wall of the house at 353 Portland Road. Two men were seen running from the scene, and police caught one man on nearby Grasmere Road. At least six police vehicles and an ambulance attended.
Several people were inside the house when the car crashed into it, and there are no reports of any injuries.
The charges in full
The Metropolitan Police said: “Christiano Zampieri, 37 (28.07.1989), of Becontree Avenue, Dagenham, was charged on Tuesday 27 October with failing to provide a breath sample, failing to stop for police, driving without insurance, and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.”
The four charges, in full, are:
- Failing to provide a breath sample
- Failing to stop for police
- Driving without insurance
- Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence
Zampieri has been released on bail ahead of his appearance at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 20 November. He has been charged, not convicted, and the allegations against him have not yet been tested in court.
What the charges mean
Failing to provide a breath sample refers to a driver refusing or failing to give a roadside breath test when required by police, usually after officers suspect drink-driving. Failing to stop for police is a separate offence covering a driver who does not pull over when directed to do so by an officer.
Driving without insurance means being behind the wheel of a vehicle that is not covered by a valid insurance policy, while driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence covers driving outside the terms of the licence held — for example, driving a category of vehicle the licence does not cover, or driving while disqualified.
Each of these is a matter for the magistrates’ court, which can impose fines, penalty points, driving bans and, in the most serious cases, custody. What sentence, if any, follows in this case will depend on the evidence heard and any plea entered when the case comes before the court.
What happens next
The case will come before Croydon Magistrates’ Court on 20 November, when Zampieri is due to appear. Until then he remains on bail, and no further details about the court proceedings have been released.
The pursuit began on Lower Addiscombe Road, a busy route through Addiscombe, and ended a short distance away on Portland Road, a residential street in South Norwood. The crash happened late at night, when several people were inside the house that was hit — a fact that will likely form part of the background when the case is heard.
Police have not said anything further about the second man seen running from the scene, or about the condition of the house. The investigation into the pursuit itself is a matter for the Metropolitan Police, and any update will come through the court process.
Elsewhere in the capital, police have made a series of arrests and charges in recent days, including a man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a shooting in Woolwich and two men named in connection with a Bethnal Green rape inquiry. A Battersea man was also found guilty of manslaughter over the death of a pensioner he punched in Balham.
