A young motorist who stole a vehicle and then crashed it into an ambulance responding to an emergency, injuring two paramedics, has been given a jail term following a court hearing.
Harry Foster-Smith was driving a Volkswagen Golf on Friday 29nd August 2025, that he had taken without permission from London earlier that day.
That evening, officers were alerted to the vehicle travelling coast-bound on the M2 between junctions two and three and began a pursuit. Foster-Smith refused to stop and reached speeds in excess of 100mph before leaving the motorway at junction four, where officers lost sight of the car.
Shortly afterwards, the stolen vehicle collided with an ambulance on an emergency call at the roundabout connecting the slip road with the A278 Hoath Way near Gillingham. Two paramedics inside the ambulance were taken to hospital to be treated for their injuries.
Foster-Smith fled the scene but, with the assistance of Kent Police drone pilots, was located in nearby woodland by a police dog and its handler and arrested. He was also found to have a quantity of class B drugs on him when he was searched.
Foster-Smith, 19, of Brunswick Street, Bexleyheath, was charged with:
Causing serious injury by dangerous driving
Using a motor vehicle on a road/public place without third-party insurance
Possession of a class B drug
Aggravated vehicle taking
Driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence
He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing and, on Tuesday 2nd December, was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court to two year and eight months’ imprisonment. He also had his licence revoked for three years.
Investigating officer Police Constable Lily Woodham said ‘Foster-Smith’s actions that day were an appalling act of recklessness and put lives at risk. ‘I hope this sentence sends a clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated and those who endanger others will face serious consequences.’
