A man who drunkenly crashed a stolen vehicle belonging to his girlfriend faced the Isle of Wight Magistrates ‘ Court yesterday afternoon (Tuesday), where he was sentenced to a 12-month community order and 80 hours of unpaid work.
Jai Pearce, 32, of Westhill Road, Ryde, appeared for sentencing, where the details of his charges were read to the court by Prosecutor Serena Edwards.
Pearce had previously pleaded guilty to 4 charges relating to a car crash on Weeks Road, Ryde, and his subsequent arrest on 5th December last year.
On 17th July, Pearce pleaded guilty to drink driving, aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance and failing to stop at the scene of a road accident, as previously reported by Island Echo.
It was around 21:30 on 5th December 2025 when Pearce took his girlfriend’s car while under the influence. Only his partner and her stepfather were legally permitted to drive the vehicle.
The defendant was then seen behind the wheel of the black Toyota Aygo, driving at speed with no lights on.
As first reported by Island Echo on the night of the incident, the Toyota being driven by Pearce smashed into a parked silver Hyundai i10 near the junction with Alfred Street, which in turn shunted forwards into a Ford Transit van.
Pearce jumped to his feet and ran up the road, leaving the scene of the crash.
The court heard that Pearce called 999 at the earliest opportunity following the collision, gave officers his location and waited there for them to come to him.
Just hours after his arrest, the drink-driver made full admissions during a police interview. He also blew an alcohol reading of 59 micrograms.
Prosecutor Serena Edwards said that, at the time of his arrest, Pearce appeared very emotional and repeatedly said: “I’m sorry I’m sorry I f**ked up.”
The court also heard previous admissions from Pearce in which he said he knew full well that he did not have permission to drive the vehicle and that he knew he would likely be over the drink-drive limit.
Mrs Edwards told the bench that both the Toyota Aygo and one of the victims’ vehicles, a Hyundai i10, were written off following the crash.
Speaking about the impact the events of 5th December have had on him, a victim whose vehicle was parked on Weeks Road while he was visiting a friend said the crash had left him feeling very upset and annoyed.
The retired man explained that his insurance company did not pay him enough to cover the cost of a new car and, as a result, he had to pay £4,568 from his own pocket.
The court heard this had put him in financial difficulty, as the crash happened at a time when he was saving money for repairs to his home.
The victim said:
“The accident put me in financial difficulty. I can no longer do the house repairs I had planned because I am retired and I don’t get a lot of money.”
He described himself as gutted and upset and, in the long term, angry.
Tearfully, he went on to tell Magistrates:
“I see the parking spot it happened in, and I panic about seeing my car in pieces.
“Every time I see that parking spot I think about what would have happened if my dogs were in there.”
Defending, Oscar Vincent said that this was very much a one-off incident. The offence occurred last December and there has been no repeat offending since.
Magistrates were also told that Pearce has taken steps to address his behaviour. He has reimbursed the owner of the stolen vehicle in full and has reduced his alcohol consumption since the crash to the point that he has not had a drink in 3 months.
Jai Pearce was sentenced to a 12-month community order and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.
He was also disqualified from driving for 24 months – 12 months for the failing to stop offence and 12 months for the drink-driving offence.
Pearce was ordered to complete 10 RAA days and was handed a £2,199 financial penalty, comprising £85 costs, a £114 surcharge and £2,000 to the retired victim who was left out of pocket.
