Driver jailed for reckless car chase (From This Is Wiltshire)

Driver jailed for reckless car chase

7:00am Tuesday 7th September 2010 in

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A MOTORIST who drove along the pavement at 40mph after speeding away from police has been jailed for eight months.

Christopher Bonner raced away from officers causing children playing football in the road to run for cover before ramming a number of cars, including a police dog van.

The 40-year-old also went at what police pursuit officers called ‘ridiculous speed’ close to the County Ground on a match night.

And when he was arrested he claimed that someone was pointing a loaded weapon at his back and making him drive away at speed.

Colin Meeke, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how Bonner, of Marney Road, Grange Park, had been pulled over by police seeking to speak to the woman in the passenger seat about other matters.

He said the burgundy Vauxhall Vectra was stopped on Station Road at about 7pm on Monday, April 12.

While the officer spoke to the passenger she had already called for back-up and as an unmarked police car arrived with its sirens wailing Bonner wheel-spun away.

He turned right through a ‘no entry’ sign and passed bollards into Graham Street, Broadgreen, where there were children playing football in the street.

Hearing the sirens the boys made it safely on to the pavement as the cars passed turning on to Elmina Road, then Salisbury Street.

Mr Meeke said the car was going in excess of the 30mph limit in the residential streets and crossed Manchester Road without stopping.

The officer, who feared the chase had become too dangerous, then lost sight of the vehicle as it disappeared along a back alley.

Shortly after another officer spotted the Vectra parked on Newcastle Street and approached the car thinking it was empty.

As he got close Bonner sat up as he had been leaning into the passenger foot well and reversed hard into the car parked behind him.

He shunted that vehicle 20 feet backwards and then smashed into the officer’s dog van pushing it into another stationary car before driving off along the pavement.

Bonner pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance, and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

He also admitted failing to surrender to custody when he went to get his methadone instead of turning up at court.

Daniella Gilbert, defending, said her client was remorseful for what he had done and pointed out that no-one was injured in the incident.

She accepted that the case was serious enough to justify a jail term but asked the court to consider suspending the sentence.

“If you are to send him to custody today there is a significant risk the good work he has done over the past few months will be undone by that,” she said.

Judge Richard Smith QC said “What you did with your driving leaves one astonished how you did not injure one or more people in the incident.”

As well as jailing him he also banned him from the road for a year and told him to take an extended test before he gets his licence returned.