Police use stinger device to halt chase with stolen van on M1 in Derbyshire
A driver deliberately braked hard to try and cause a collision with a police car during a chase up the M1 in Derbyshire. Derby Crown Court[1] heard how Nicholas Kaye was driving a van stolen days earlier when he tried in vain to get the pursuing patrol car off his scent.
Pulling in late onto an exit at a junction, more officers were waiting with their stinger device which burst the tyres but undeterred the 35-year-old tried to carry on driving before fleeing on foot. But the uninsured driver was caught a short time later and arrested.
Handing him a six-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, Judge Jonathan Bennett said:[2] “At 3.15am at Tibshelf services you made a foolish mistake because there was a chase on the motorway. It was a police chase and at one point, when the police were very close to you, you braked hard with a view to causing a collision.
“Goodness knows what might have happened, make sure I don’t see you again.” Lauren Butts, prosecuting, said[3] the incident took place in the early hours of October 4, last year.
She said a police patrol spotted a van parked up at the services with its lights off and with two men sitting inside it.
The prosecutor said when the defendant, who was driving the vehicle, noticed they were being watched by the police he turned the lights on and drove on to the northbound M1. Miss Butts said: “The police followed and illuminated their emergency lights and the van moved between lanes one and two. The defendant sharply broke in order to try and cause a collision but this didn’t happen and it carried on towards junction 29.
“Officers were waiting ahead with their stinger device and as the van approached the junction it turned sharply on to the exit and at the roundabout had its front two tyres burst by the stinger. It continued along a narrow road, came to a stop and the men tried to make off on foot but were quickly caught.
“It was discovered that the van had been stolen from the Leeds area days before from a man who had left it outside his son’s property while he went on holiday and when he came back it was gone.”
Kaye, of Haigh View, Rothwell, Leeds, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified - he had been banned after totting up penalty points - driving without insurance and failing to stop.
Graham Blower, mitigating, said his client was in the van and was on his way home from selling a quad bike when the incident happened. He said Kaye works as a motor mechanic testing vehicles and had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
As part of the suspended sentence order, the judge ordered Kaye to attend 20 rehabilitation sessions and to carry out 200 hours unpaid work. He also disqualified him from driving for 18 months.
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References
- ^ Derby Crown Court (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Judge Jonathan Bennett said: (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ Lauren Butts, prosecuting, said (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ High-speed chase ended when fleeing driver crashed into telegraph pole (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)
- ^ the main Derbyshire Live newsletter here (www.derbytelegraph.co.uk)