A man who used illegal blue lights to overtake other cars by appearing to be a police officer has been convicted of causing a serious crash.

Joshua Pembrocke, 24, was driving his Peugeot 208 in Cambridge Road, Great Shelford, when the collision happened at just after 5.30pm on April 7. 

He had a blue LED bar installed in the windscreen of his car with forward facing blue lights, of a similar style used by emergency services.

Many motorists had pulled over or moved out of the way of Pembrocke’s car, believing it to be on a blue light response.

However, as he overtook cars at speeds of up to 50mph he failed to see a BMW turning right onto a side road ahead of him.

He was unable to stop or move out of the way in time and crashed into the BMW, forcing it off the road, onto the pavement, and into a telegraph pole.

Witnesses described seeing blue lights coming from the front of Pembrocke’s car at the time of the crash. Their accounts were also supported by dashcam footage.

Police, firefighters and paramedics attended and the front seat passenger in the BMW, a woman in her 80s, suffered serious injuries, including a fractured sternum and collapsed lung.

In police interview Pembrocke, of Chaston Road, Great Shelford, admitted being the driver of the Peugeot and causing the crash.

He claimed at first that he caused the crash because he was distracted by a fly in the car and had tried to swat it away but later contradicted this, saying he was running late for a car show.

Throughout the interview he claimed the blue lights were not activated at the time of the crash. He stated he only used them for car shows and did not intentionally overtake any cars while using blue lights.

Pembrocke was later served a postal requisition charging him with causing serious injury by dangerous driving and using a vehicle on a road with a blue warning beacon.

He pleaded guilty to the first offence at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on September 28 and his case was committed to crown court for sentence, with the latter offence removed and treated as an aggravating factor.

Pembrocke was sentenced at Huntingdon Law Courts on Friday ( January 19) where he was handed two years in prison, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to complete a 40-day rehabilitation activity requirement, disqualified from driving for four years with an extended retest, and fined £240.

Sentencing, Judge David Farrell QC said Pembrocke had an “infatuation” with emergency service vehicles which needed to be addressed but due to exceptional mitigation, including family circumstances, he felt able to suspend the prison sentence.

PC Nick Raouna said: “Pembrocke didn’t consider the safety of anyone else on the road when he drove dangerously.

“His illegal use of blue lights deceived other drivers into thinking he was an emergency services vehicle – which is unacceptable.

“Emergency blue light drivers go through rigorous training to ensure they make safe progress and minimise risks to road users around them. Pembrocke didn’t have this training and his driving led to a woman receiving serious injuries, which could easily have proved fatal.” 

Ely Standard: One of the cars that was damagedOne of the cars that was damaged (Image: Police)