Driver who sped off from police at 130 miles per hour on M4 is jailed

A driver who drove dangerously along the M4 in Berkshire reaching speeds of 130 miles per hour has been jailed.

Marcus Burke, aged 25, from Clive Road in London, pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving, one count of failing to provide a specimen for analysis, one count of failing to stop for police, one count of driving without a licence and one count of driving without insurance at a hearing at Reading Crown Court.

Burke was sentenced to ten months’ imprisonment for the driving offences and had a previous six month suspended prison sentence activated for a class B drugs supply offence, to be served consecutively, resulting in a total of 16 months’ imprisonment.

Burke was also disqualified from driving for twenty months and told to take an extended re-test when his disqualification expires.

At about 5pm on 8 February this year, officers from the Roads Policing Unit based at Taplow police station were notified by their in-car ANPR camera of a Volkswagen Golf being driven without insurance on the A308M.

Initially, Burke stopped when asked to on the M4 junction 8/9 roundabout, but as he was asked to pull further down the road onto the hard shoulder of the A404, Burke made off and failed to stop for police.

Burke conducted a series of dangerous manoeuvres, including undertaking several vehicles, swerving in and out of lanes and travelling at speeds of 130 miles per hour, before making an erratic turn to exit the A404 towards the Thicket roundabout.

In doing so, Burke entered the slip road at approximately 100 miles per hour and failed to navigate the roundabout.

He narrowly missed vehicles on the slip road before striking the kerb and crashing into trees and bushes.

He sustained no injuries, but was arrested at the scene and charged the following day.