A DRIVER tried to escape from police less than a month after a court had given him a chance to stay out of prison.
On November 2, 2020, Brant Chadwick was spared jail for having a knife in a public place but Bolton Crown Court heard how, 27 days later, he was involved in a pursuit.
Colin Buckle, prosecuting, told how officers came across Mazda 3, driven by Chadwick, at 10.50am on November 29 and formed the view that it was unfit for the road.
But when they tried to stop it the vehicle sped off, reaching up to 60mph in a 30mph zone, narrowly missed a collision with a lorry and went through a red light at the junction with St Helens Road.
The pursuit came to an end when the car collided with a CCTV pole on the pavement.
A passenger in the car had to break a window to get out but Chadwick was trapped and had to be cut out of the vehicle before being taken to hospital where he spent a week being treated for a broken foot, broken arm and damaged ribs.
Chadwick, aged 35, of Knutshaw Crescent, Bolton, was convicted of dangerous driving in his absence after he failed to appear at court and has now been sentenced. He admitted breaching his suspended sentence and failing to attend court.
Beth Caunce, defending, said it was “not the most serious example of dangerous driving" as there had been no injuries to others and it was a “relatively short pursuit.”
She added that he failed to stop for police as he “struggles with authority.”
She added that the rehabilitation work given out as part of the suspended sentence had not yet taken effect when Chadwick reoffended and he had not been in trouble since the incident.
Recorder Simon Hilton sentenced Chadwick to nine months in prison, suspended for two years.
He told Chadwick: “It was short-lived, but in my view, a very bad piece of driving.
“You created a substantial risk to other road users, including pedestrians, because of the speeds you reached.”
He fined Chadwick £1,000 and ordered him to undertake treatment for drug addiction as well as 15 days of rehabilitation activities.
He was banned from driving for two years after which he will have to take an extended retest.
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