Police caught man hiding in ditch after driving Land Rover with cloned number plates

The vehicle was found abandoned on the hard shoulder of the M62 motorway

Mark Naylor Humber Court Reporter 13:05, 07 Sep 2025

The panicking driver of a speeding Land Rover - that was pulling a trailer behind it - managed to hurtle away from a pursuing police car. Police tried in vain to stop the Land Rover after realising that it was being driven with cloned number plates.

The chasing police car could not keep up with the Land Rover, even though it was doing more than 100mph.

The damaged vehicle was later abandoned on the hard shoulder of the M62[1] and the cannabis-taking driver and his passenger were found waist-deep in water in a nearby ditch, Hull Crown Court[2] heard.

Dylan Finney, 29, admitted[3] aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified, driving over the limit for drugs, fraudulently using a cloned number plate and having no insurance. Harry Bradford, prosecuting, said that a Land Rover Freelander vehicle was taken from outside a house in Eggborough, near Selby, on December 13.

CCTV pictures showed a number of "silhouettes" of people approaching the vehicle before it was driven off but it could not be said that Finney was among them. On December 18, police on the A164 at Howden saw the Land Rover towing a trailer and using cloned registration plates.

It quickly turned round in the road, drove off in the opposite direction at high speed on rural roads towards Holme-on-Spalding Moor and failed to stop for police.

It overtook a van on a bend and, even though police were doing speeds of more than 100mph, they struggled to keep up with the Land Rover and trailer.

Police could not keep up with and pursue the vehicle, being driven by Finney, as it headed into Howden and it accelerated out of view. Air support was called in.

The vehicle was found abandoned on the hard shoulder of the M62 motorway, near the Ouse bridge. There was damage to the left side of the vehicle.

"The occupants had fled across a field," said Mr Bradford.

Eight number plates were found on the back seat of the Land Rover. "There was a strong smell of cannabis," said Mr Bradford.

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A police officer searched in a field and spotted two men - Finney and his passenger - waist-deep hiding in a ditch. He warned them that they might be Tasered and they both came out of the ditch.

A drugs swipe on Finney tested positive for cannabis.

Blood tests later revealed that he was over the legal limit for traces of the drug.

During police interview, Finney made no comment to questions but he admitted that he had used cannabis some time earlier. He had convictions for 16 previous offences, including being jailed in January 2023 for 14 months for dangerous driving.

Shannon Woodley, mitigating, said that Finney pleaded guilty at the first opportunity. "This offence and, indeed, the previous offence of dangerous driving, were born out of a drug habit and drug debts," said Miss Woodley.

His addiction prevented him from working and paying off the drug debt. "He has received a custodial sentence previously and we are back in this situation," said Miss Woodley. "The issue in his life is cannabis. He does have support and he does have a job lined up for him."

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Judge Mark Bury told Finney: "You were taking the opportunity of earning some money by delivering a trailer. However, you had been taking cannabis and you should not have been driving at all.

"You knew that the vehicle had false plates but you still drove it.

Had you lost control of the vehicle with a trailer behind it, it could easily have killed innocent road users and, of course, yourself. The rules of the road are there to ensure public safety on the highway."

Finney, of Pontefract Road, Cudworth, near Barnsley, was jailed for 14 months. He was banned from driving for two years and 170 days.

He had been on bail before being jailed.

References

1. ^ M62 (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
2. ^ Hull Crown Court (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
3. ^ admitted (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
4. ^ clicking here (xd.wayin.com)
5. ^ Did you know you can get all the latest traffic and travel updates sent straight to your inbox?

   From road closures, live incidents and weekly speed camera locations, sign up to our Hull Traffic and Travel newsletter by clicking here. (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)