Officers have thanked the public for their assistance after a man was jailed for dangerous driving following a high-speed pursuit in Swindon.
Robert Kill, 29, of Inglesham Road, Penhill, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified.
He was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court yesterday to 19-and-a-half months imprisonment and disqualified from driving for three years and nine months.
On the afternoon of May 19, 2020, officers attempted to stop a red Ford Focus on Cricklade Road.
Despite momentarily stopping, the vehicle sped off when officers got out of their vehicle and reached speeds in excess of 60mph.
As the vehicle approached Thamesdown Drive it proceeded to go through a red light and collided with an oncoming vehicle (see attached dashcam).
The driver then went down Thamesdown Drive on the wrong side of the carriageway at excess speed for approximately 2km.
Officers at this point decided to call off the pursuit, due to concerns for the safety of other road users, but then found the car abandoned at the end of Poachers Way, Blunsdon St Andrew, at the top of a footpath.
The driver had fled the scene on foot and hid in the hedgerow on Lady Lane, by the car park of the Blunsdon Arms.
But, thanks to CCTV footage and support from members of the public who provided witness statements and supplied dash cam footage, officers were able to identify Kill as the driver and he was arrested at his home address on May 29.
Kill was already subject to a suspended prison sentence at the time of the offence.
PC Sam Young, from Swindon Community Policing Team, said: “We are fortunate that nobody was seriously injured by the actions of Kill as he put the lives of innocent members of the public at serious risk.
“Despite being disqualified from driving and holding no insurance, he drove with complete disregard for his fellow road users at what was a busy time of the day.
“He drove at high speeds, for long periods on the wrong side of the road and even hit another vehicle when driving through a red light in order to evade being caught.”
He added: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the public in their efforts to help bring Kill to justice. If it wasn’t for their support, he would still be driving on the roads now.
“This behaviour is unacceptable and as a police force, we will go above and beyond to secure a conviction for people who pose that much of a risk to the public.”
