Man jailed at Lincoln Crown Court after leading police on chase through Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and into Lincolnshire

A 29-year-old man who stole a Ford Ranger and led police on a pursuit across four counties has been jailed.

Shortly before midnight on October 22, Darrell Duddin stole the keys of a Ford Ranger belonging to his employer, climbed out of the window of his shared accommodation in Reading and drove through Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and into Lincolnshire.

Duddin, of Beech Court, Lincoln, was working in the Reading area with colleagues and after a few beers, they all went to their separate rooms — but while the others were asleep, Duddin took the keys and climbed out of a bedroom window.

Officers first saw Duddin driving the vehicle on the A46 Coventry Eastern Bypass, and he failed to do so, and police pursued him into Leicestershire along the M69, where Duddin reached speeds of 115mph.

He drove around the Fosse Park area of Leicester, failing to stop for several red lights and drove at excessive speeds. He then travelled onto the M1 northbound and left at the next junction to join the A46 towards Nottinghamshire.

Pursuit tactics were used to keep Duddin on the A46. He purposefully swerved around across the carriageway obstructing officers, while maintaining speeds in excess of 100mph.

After leaving the Hobby Horse roundabout in Leicestershire, Duddin carried on driving along the A46 and officers were able to ‘box in’ the vehicle, but Duddin rammed into one of the pursuit cars a number of times, causing it to leave the road. The officer was not seriously injured, but the police vehicle suffered significant damage.

Duddin continued driving at speeds in excess of 100mph along the A46, still pursued by a Leicestershire officer and now tracked by colleagues from the National Police Air Service (NPAS).

As the vehicle left the Farndon roundabout on the A46, a stinger was deployed which deflated at least one of the tyres of the Ford Ranger, but he continued driving, leaving a trail of sparks and chunks of metal.

As Duddin negotiated the next roundabout, the wheel rim from the Ranger spun off but he continued along the A46 driving on the spokes of one of the wheels.

Officers from Lincolnshire Police’s Specialist Operations team then boxed in the Ford Ranger, but again he drove into the rear off a police vehicle which was in front of him blocking his path.

After the vehicle was bought to a halt, Duddin fled the vehicle and ran into the opposing carriageway, where he was detained and arrested, and found to be in possession of a knife.

Duddin was charged with dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance and possessing a knife in a public place. He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.

He was sentenced to 18 months in prison at Lincoln Crown Court yesterday (Thursday).

Inspector Jason Baxter, from Lincolnshire Police’s Roads Policing Team, said: “Safety is our first priority and all forces will consider the tactics available to them with safety in mind.

“I am very relieved that no one was seriously injured through Duddin’s complete disregard for safety. He drove dangerously at excessive speeds, intentionally ramming two police cars and put road users and officers at risk.

“We were able to bring an exceptionally dangerous and disqualified driver to a halt. It’s credit to all of the officers involved, including our colleagues in NPAS. This was a dynamic and fast-moving pursuit which was brought to a safe conclusion. This truly was a cross-border operation and shows there are no boundaries in policing.”