POLICE were justified in their pursuit of a car which crashed leaving a woman seriously injured, a new report has found.

A report by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC) found that the crash and the injuries to the woman, who was a passenger in the vehicle, were caused by the driver driving at excessive speed and losing control of the car.

The driver was being pursued for failing to negotiate a bend at Beach Road in Troon around 0.30am on October 18 and hitting the boundary wall of a house.

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He was also injured in the crash.

The report found that the pursuit began when two police officers in a marked police car saw the man driving erratically on the streets of Troon and they activated their blue lights and siren.

Although the driver of the car appeared to slow down initially, he then accelerated quickly away from the police car.

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The officers alerted the Area Control Room (ACR) they were pursuing a car which had failed to stop. They pursued the car through the streets of Troon for around two miles before the driver of the other car hit the house wall on Beach Road.

The man was arrested and charged with dangerous driving and other offences and was recently sentenced to 27 months behind bars.

The PIRC report found the pursuit had been in line with Police Scotland’s Standard Operating.

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