Driver who sped across a playground is jailed
A dangerous driver has been jailed after driving across a playground, into oncoming traffic and the wrong way round a roundabout in a bid to escape police.
Officers spotted Connor Dodds, 19, driving a Volkswagen Bora at high speed on Acre Rigg Road, in Peterlee. He failed to stop for police who then chased him through
Peterlee and Easington.
During the pursuit, Dodds drove well in excess of the speed limit, on the wrong side of the road, across a playground and through fields where people were walking their dogs.
Officers used a stinger to deflate his tyres and Dodds eventually stopped. He and another man fled from the car but the pair were arrested nearby.
The incident took place on Tuesday, April 28.
Dodds, of Johnson Close, Peterlee, was charged with dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving without a licence.
He admitted the offences at Durham Crown Court on Tuesday, where he was jailed for 12 months. He was also banned from driving for three-and-a-half years and ordered to pay £149 court costs.
Inspector Joanne Malkin, from Durham Constabulary, said: “This was an incredibly dangerous piece of driving from Dodds. He drove recklessly, at very high speeds through residential areas – he could have very nearly killed someone. It was a great bit of teamwork from all departments, including response, CID and the roads policing unit, who have worked together to take a dangerous driver off the road.”
The 24-year-old man, believed to have been the passenger of the vehicle, was released under investigation while inquiries continue.