Driver crashes three times in escape bid

A DRIVER crashed into a police car, road sign and wall as he attempted to escape being caught by the police.

Oldham magistrates heard how Samuel Graham Locke (20), of Anvil Way, Oldham, drove a BMW on Lemnos Street, on September 18, 2010, knowing it had been stolen.

He also pleaded guilty to driving without insurance or the correct licence.

Chantelle Boreland (18) of Clough Road, Failsworth, admitted she was a passenger.

Prosecutor Julie Spaven, told how the £5,000 BMW had been stolen from Mossley overnight on September 16 and 17.

At 4.10am on September 18, a truck driver spotted the BMW travelling the wrong way down a one-way street and alerted police.

An officer spotted the vehicle on the footpath in Wallshaw Street and then witnessed two men run from the car.

But the driver stayed inside, reversed and accelerated down the path towards the stationary police car, crashing into it and narrowly missing the policeman.

As the officer pursued the car on foot, the driver then collided with a street sign as he panicked, restarted the car again and then crashed into a wall. Locke fled and the officer lost sight of him.

The following day, Boreland handed herself into the police station admitting she had been a passenger. Boreland had been at a friend’s house where she drank a litre of cider and a litre of vodka during the evening but had left for the bus at 11pm, feeling sick.

She said the BMW had pulled up offering her a lift so she got in, but she had not suspected it was stolen.

Locke also pleaded guilty to handling a stolen Vauxhall Astra worth £8,000. The vehicle was spotted with false registration plates in New Moston on March 13.

The magistrates referred all four of Locke’s matters to the crown court for sentencing.

Boreland’s case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report on March 25.