Officer gave police five-hour runaround

RUGBY star . . . Adams when he played for the police GB rugby league team in the 2008 world cup in Australia

A POLICEMAN who ran away from a fellow officer evaded arrest for five hours in an attempt to reduce alcohol levels in his body, a court heard yesterday.

Magistrates at Stockport were told how a police helicopter was scrambled last September and police dogs brought in to search for Daniel Thomas Adams, from Greenfield, after he dumped his car and two passengers at Saddleworth Cemetery car park just before midnight.

The 21-year-old officer, based in Rochdale, was arrested at his home five hours later where he passed a breathalyser test.

Adams, who played for the GB rugby league team, pleaded not guilty at a previous hearing to charges of wilfully obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duties.

On the first of a two-day trial, magistrates heard how Adams had driven his silver VW Polo to the Church Inn, Uppermill, on the evening of September 13 to meet friends.

At 11.45pm, PC Jon Scott was on duty in Uppermill when he saw the vehicle turning from Church Lane into Gellfield Lane.

PC Scott, who was stopping cars following concerns of drink-driving, followed the vehicle in a marked police car until it turned into the cemetery car park and stopped.

PC Scott told the court he then switched on his blue flashing lights and Adams got out of the driving seat.

He said: “It was pitch black, but I saw him because of the police lights.

“He half turned at one point as if he didn’t know what he was going to do, whether to speak to me or run away.”

PC Scott said he shouted at Adams to stand still and threatened to use a CS spray to restrain him, but he ran off through the cemetery leaving his two female passengers stranded.

Adams was later arrested at his home at 5.08am, passed a breathalyser test and was interviewed later that day.

In the transcripts of a mobile phone call made by Adams to police just before 5am, he said he had run off because he had panicked.

Defending, Katie Jones said Mr Adams had ran off because he had not seen that the car was a police vehicle and believed it to be someone else that was a threat to him.

She said PC Scott could have switched his blue lights on earlier to identify himself as a police officer, and his description of Adams given at the time of the incident was mistaken.

Jo Service, outlining the case for the prosecution, said Adams had been aware that it had been a police car stopping him, and that he evaded arrest for five hours to allow his alcohol level to drop.

She said Adams had ample opportunity after his arrest to tell police he thought he was being followed, rather than waiting until he was re-interviewed in November.

(Proceeding)