Banned driver in police chase
A DISQUALIFIED driver hit 120mph and “smashed” through traffic cones as he fled from the police during a 13-mile car chase between Cardiff and Bridgend.
A DISQUALIFIED driver hit 120mph and “smashed” through traffic cones as he fled from the police during a 13-mile car chase between Cardiff and Bridgend.
Amritpal Thandi, who was just a week away from the end of his driving ban, did not even stop when he punctured his own tyres by hitting the central reservation.
Sentencing him at Cardiff Crown Court, Judge David Wynn Morgan said: “It is nothing short of a miracle that nobody was killed, nobody was seriously injured.”
The court heard a police officer on a motorbike noticed a Citroen C4 driving “extremely close” to the vehicle in front on the A48 near Culverhouse Cross on the evening of July 21 last year.
Byron Broadstock, prosecuting, said that the officer noticed the car did not have a front numberplate and the driver overtook in a hatched road marking area.
He turned on his blue lights and chased the driver, who accelerated to 90mph as he approached St Nicholas – a village with a 30mph limit.
Prosecutors said he hit a Volkswagen Fox as he sped through the village. The driver had only just passed his test and had his mother in the car.
The Volkswagen driver described seeing the Citroen approaching “at speed” in his rear-view mirror, then hearing a “loud bang”.
He said the Citroen “flew past” and the driver did not stop.
His car, which had belonged to his grandfather, was written off.
The court heard Thandi drove through Bonvilston at 70mph in a 40mph zone and reached 110mph on the Cowbridge bypass.
Mr Broadstock said he went the wrong way around a temporary roundabout and “smashed” through traffic cones.
Another officer joined the pursuit and tried to use a stinger (a device to disable tyres) but could not find a suitable place to do it. The Citroen passed him at “considerable speed”.
Prosecutors said Thandi hit 120mph as he continued on the A48, straddling two lanes and never dropping below 80mph.
He narrowly avoided a collision at a roundabout and undertook a lorry as he made his way down the A473 towards Bridgend town centre.
The court heard his two offside wheels hit the central reservation, puncturing the tyres, but he carried on anyway.
His speed dropped to 45mph and he “swerved” as he “struggled to maintain control”.
An officer was able to pull alongside him and the defendant ran off.
He was found cowering behind a wall in Coychurch Road, where he was arrested.
The court heard Thandi said: “I’m not going to lie, I tried to avoid you because I’m banned.”
He was searched and the officer found cannabis and a grinder.
A roadside breath test showed he was over the drink-drive limit, but a further test at the station showed he was just within the limit.
Mr Broadstock said the defendant was fined and disqualified for drinkdriving in 2011. He had a conviction in 2015 for supplying drugs.
In 2015 he was given penalty points on his licence for driving while using a phone. Two years later he was fined for criminal damage and driving without due care and attention.
He was disqualified from driving for six months in January 2019 due to penalty points on his licence and was disqualified at the time of the new offences.
Thandi, 31, from Foxhills Park in Dudley, admitted driving dangerously, while he was disqualified and possessing cannabis.
David Leathley, defending, said: “Perhaps the only mitigation he can muster is his early guilty plea in the magistrates’ court.”
He said his client had “severe anxiety” and relied on alcohol and cannabis. He said he acted in a “moment of panic”.
The court heard he worked for Freshways Milk and was hoping to drive for the company when his driving ban ended. He was a week away from the end of the ban.
Mr Leathley said Thandi had two daughters and one had just been diagnosed with a health condition.
He added: “That preyed heavily on his mind and he lost control.”
He said the defendant was “a family man”.
He was worried he would lose his licence, lose his job and not be able to drive his daughter to hospital appointments.
The defence counsel added: “This man is morbidly terrified of going to prison. He is genuinely fearful of custody.
“He said he would do absolutely anything to atone to society.”
Judge David Wynn Morgan said: “It is inconceivable that the court, in this instance, could do anything other than impose an immediate custodial sentence.”
Thandi was jailed for 18 months and disqualified from driving for two years from the time of his release.
He will have to pass an extended driving test.
An order was made for the cannabis and grinder to be destroyed.
He must pay a £149 victim surcharge.
PC Liam Buttle, officer in the case, said: “Amritpal Thandi showed a complete disregard for the safety of others on July 21.
“Not only was he already banned from the roads, he drove in a completely careless and dangerous manner, contravening numerous traffic laws.
“It is only sheer good fortune that no-one was seriously hurt that day.
“The occupants of the car he collided with were left extremely shaken by the incident and the thought of what could have happened to them.
“Several other motorists will have also undoubtedly been left shocked at the near misses they encountered.
“I’m pleased that the courts recognised the gravity of Thandi’s offending.
“I hope that his time in prison affords him with the opportunity to reflect on his utter selfishness and reckless actions.”