Dangerous driver sentenced following pursuit

A driver has been sentenced after he drove a cloned car along a riverbank and narrow country roads after failing to stop for officers.

Officers from our specialist operations department pursued the car before the vehicle came to a halt after it had been stung.

In the early hours of Thursday 2 July, Josh Lake, 30, no fixed address, was driving a silver X3 BMW which was on false plates.  The officers saw the vehicle which had an intelligence marker indicating it may be a cloned vehicle.  

They indicated the driver must stop; he failed to do so and continued driving before travelling over a stinger device which deflated the tyres.

We’re sharing some footage of the pursuit from the driver’s body worn video to demonstrate the challenges faced and professionalism shown by our officers when responding to this type of incident.

The car was noticed at 00.10 am on the A17, officers requested the vehicle stop, but the driver failed to stop and a pursuit was authorised.  The footage we’ve shared shows the pursuit as it enters Sutton Bridge Port. 

The video shows the BMW driven by Lake travelling at high speeds along West Bank, which runs alongside the river Nene. The river was at full tide.  Lake could have lost control of the vehicle at any point while driving on the rough grassed track and entered the water.  There were two other people in the car, a woman and a man, both in their 20s. He put them at significant risk. 

As the pursuit continued, he showed no regard for anyone else that may have been using the roads, coming in the other direction, or other road users such as pedal cyclists.

Inspector Carrie Diamond, Armed Roads Policing, Lincolnshire Police, said: “Our officers are highly trained in pursuit driving, they constantly assess the risk to other road users and themselves.  This driver didn’t have a full driving licence, he’s never passed a test and was disqualified already; he put his passengers at great risk and anyone else who may have been using the roads.

“We will always target drivers who should not be on the roads.  Drivers who are not qualified, drivers who take risks with no thought to others or the injuries they may cause, and drivers who use our roads to commit crime, whether that’s by driving while disqualified, dangerously, or to break into someone’s house or premises; they will always be our focus.”

Lake pleaded guilty to offences of dangerous driving, disqualified driving, driving without insurance, fail to stop and possession of a controlled drug, an earlier hearing at Lincoln Magistrates Court. The offence of failing to stop was dealt with at the initial hearing, he was fined £50.   

He appeared at Lincoln Crown Court for sentencing for other offences on 17 October and was handed:

• An eight-month sentence, suspended for two years, for the offence of dangerous driving. He was also banned from driving for 18 months and must take an extended re-test if he wishes to drive again.
• A four-month sentence, suspended for two years, for the offence of disqualified driving.
• A two-month sentence, suspended for two years, for the offence of possession of a controlled drug.