David BaleA Lowestoft special sergeant has been found not guilty of dangerous driving, but guilty of an alternative charge of careless drivingDavid Bale

A Lowestoft special sergeant has been found not guilty of dangerous driving, but guilty of an alternative charge of careless driving.

Mykal Trim, 38, was charged with causing a crash by breaching regulations and blocking the road with a police car on Tom Crisp Way, in Lowestoft, in order to stop drink-driver Christopher Standen.

Mr Standen, who was twice over the legal drink drive limit, collided with the passenger side of the police car injuring his passenger, Insp Paul Booker and Trim. Mr Standen and his step brother were also injured in the crash.

Today, at Norwich Crown Court, the jury took about three hours to reach a verdict.

Trim was fined �1000 plus a �15 victim surcharge and ordered to pay �300 costs. He was also banned from driving for six months and licence was endorsed.

Trim, who is based and lives in Lowestoft, had denied dangerous driving on February 14 last year. He claimed he was attempting to do a three-point turn.

In mitigation, Trim's solicitor Richard Atchley said: 'He is a family man with very high moral standards. His role as a sergeant in the Special Constabulary was voluntary.

'The incident occurred in his capacity as a police officer. This was not somebody driving carelessly in his daily business, but in his role as a police officer.

'At the time of the incident he had only been a special constable for three years, and while he had done two driving courses they were not advanced.

'He was doing the job without the full benefit of a policeman's training, and his motive for doing what he did was a good one.'

Mr Atchley said Trim and Inpst Paul Booker were both injured in the crash and both continued to suffer to a degree. Trim appeared in court on crutches.

He said that Trim, who was a self-employed plumbing and heating engineer, had been unable to work because of his injuries, and was on benefits.

The court heard previously that Mr Standen had panicked when he found a police van following him and had sped off in his high performance Mitsubishi car.

PC Adam Williams, from Suffolk police serious collision investigation team, estimated that Mr Standen was doing an average speed of 80mph shortly before the crash although he had slowed down at the time of impact as he had been braking and was travelling at about 40 to 60mph.

He estimated that about three seconds before the impact Trim had turned the police car in the road.

In interviews Trim told police he had been attempting to turn the police car in the road so as to get a better position to keep watch for the vehicle when the collision occurred and denied that he had been 'excited' by what was happening.

Trim did not wish to comment at the end of the trial.