Driver who led police on 160mph police chase in East Yorkshire claimed car was stolen

A driver who claimed his car had been stolen after he collided with a police car and then hit speeds of 160mph as he tried to escape has been jailed.

Thomas Whitaker thought he had successfully evaded justice after it took almost three years to bring the case to court.

Hull Crown Court heard Whitaker, 33, of Allerthorpe, near Pocklington, East Yorkshire, was in a BMW when police in three cars tried to box him in on the A1079 at Wilberfoss on 12 July 2020.

Amber Hobson, prosecuting, said he rammed and "disabled" one of the cars, causing damage to a front wheel and door, before driving off, reaching 100mph and crossing over white lines.

Whitaker then hit 140mph several times and even reached 160mph.

"He was able to make off at significant speed from the police and made good his escape from the officers," said Miss Hobson.

The speeds were the fastest for that length of time during a pursuit that one of the police officers involved had seen. The chase lasted six minutes.

The BMW was reported as being found in a field at a deer park at 8.40pm. The driver's licence was discovered.

Two days later, Whitaker reported his car stolen. During interview, he denied being the driver and claimed that he had not reported his vehicle as stolen.

Rachel Scott, mitigating, said Whitaker had made significant progress since the incident.

It looked like he was "going to get away with" it because of the long delay in the case.

"He was hoping that this would go away," said Miss Scott. "He hasn't come forward to the police to say that this wasn't true. This defendant hasn't even made a claim on his own insurance because he knew that it would be a false claim.

"It was a phone call to the police. It was an incredibly serious offence." He had been "hiding" and "pretending he wasn't the driver".

Whitaker had a four-month-old daughter, who was brought into court by her mother with permission from the judge. The mother was pregnant with another child on the way.

"He no longer drinks or takes any illegal substances," said Miss Scott. Whitaker owned two businesses, involving bricklaying and house renovations, with a friend. He had six employees and sub-contractors.

Judge Kate Rayfield said: "He has hoped that this would go away and that he would get away with the dangerous driving. He has been convicted twice of speeding since this incident."

"Your driving was shocking," said Judge Rayfield. "It's a single-lane carriageway with numerous other cars travelling in both directions. You were overtaking cars with little or no view of oncoming traffic.

"It's a miracle that there was no accident. If you had collided with a car or a pedestrian, you could easily have killed someone." This would have led to "lives being torn apart".

"The public must know that those who put the lives of others at risk in this way will go immediately to prison," said Judge Rayfield.

The delay in bringing the case was partly because the police had to prove that Whitaker was the driver and that he had lied.

Whitaker was convicted of dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice and was jailed for 21 months. He was banned from driving for a year.

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