WACKY RACES ON THE SPINE ROAD
Driver sped wrong way along dual carriageway
IT was like a scene from Wacky Races as a “ridiculous” danger driver put lives at risk by speeding the wrong way along a dual carriageway – after police caught him holding up traffic to facilitate a horse and trap race on the busy road.
Police became aware of tailbacks on the A189 Spine Road early on a Sunday morning and found Oliver Howlett’s Mercedes Sprinter van straddling both lanes.
A court heard he was preventing traffic from passing in order to allow two horses and traps to race each other on the 70mph road.
When officers moved in to bring the bizarre situation to a safe conclusion, Howlett “panicked” as he was already banned from the roads.
What followed was what a judge described as the worst piece of dangerous driving he has ever seen that didn’t result in death or serious injury, with Howlett’s actions including droving the wrong way up a slip road.
There were nine near-misses at closing speeds of up to a combined 140mph, Newcastle Crown Court heard.
One driver who was taking colleagues to work described how Howlett’s van missed him by centimetres, with only the man’s sharp reactions avoided a potentially fatal headon smash.
Now Howlett, 29, has been jailed for 14 months and banned from the roads for a further four years after he admitted dangerous driving.
The court heard it was at around 8.25am on January 6 that police became aware of the situation on the Spine Road, near Blyth.
Prosecutor Peter Schofield said: “They saw on the A189 what was in fact two horse and traps on the carriageway. The dual carriageway was being blocked by a white vehicle, which was, in effect, causing a blockage and a build up in traffic.
“They noticed a van was straddling the white line in the carriageway and when they came up behind it, the defendant braked hard twice.”
As other cars moved out of the way, the police car, with sirens and blue lights on, followed Howlett, who travelled up the wrong side of the northbound slip road towards the Three Horse Shoes roundabout.
The van went round the roundabout on the wrong side and then came to a stop.
Mr Schofield said: “Officers expected the party would alight but instead the reversing lights went on and a manoeuvre was made which the officers took to be an attempt to ram their police vehicle. They reversed to avoid a collision then set off in pursuit.
“They were moving into a residential area and the vehicle then tried a second ramming of the police vehicle.”
Howlett reached speeds of up to 80mph in a 30mph zone then made a third attempt to reverse into the police car.
The chase then moved onto the A192, where he sped past other motorists and cyclists.
Due to the extremely dangerous manner in which he was driving, the force helicopter was deployed.
Mr Schofield said: “It was thereafter a feature of the driving that the vehicle swerved across carriageways on Hartford Road at speeds in excess of 60 to 70mph.”
Howlett negotiated a roundabout the wrong way on the A193 heading towards Bebside and he narrowly avoided a collision with a Range Rover coming the other way as he cut a corner.
Police tried to “tactically contact” the van to bring the chase to an end, but without success.
Mr Schofield said: ““As it approached the Bebside roundabout of the A189, it made a turn directly against the traffic. He headed up the dual carriageway in the wrong direction.
“That course of driving was clearly dangerous and resulted in nine nearmisses with vehicles coming in the opposite direction.”
Eventually the van came to a stop on the carriageway and it was revealed that Howlett had passengers at the time.
Howlett, of Lingcrest, Beacon Lough, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and having no insurance.
Judge Stephen Earl said the driving down the wrong side of the A189 was “the most horrific” part of the offence, adding: “The consequences of such driving would have been catastrophic if something had been struck head on.
“This is some of the worst dangerous driving I have seen without there being serious injury or death.”
After the case, Sgt Glen Robson said: “This was a man who had no regard for other road users. It is a miracle that he did not kill anyone.”