Dangerous driver pulled handbrake turns to shake-off police in Ollerton

Aaron Somers drove into the path of oncoming vehicles on a bridge over the A1 after police signalled for him to stop on Sunday, July 11, last year, at 6.30pm,

Tom Heath, prosecuting at Nottingham Crown Court, said Somers braked so heavily smoke came from the tyres of his blue Ford Fiesta before turning and driving the wrong way back up a slip-road.

Other road users had to take evasive action and Somers, aged 31, forced more motorists to pull over as he sped past them.

He made a 180-degree turn and headed to Ollerton, reaching speeds of more than 70mph.

On Lime Tree Road, he performed a handbrake turn and as he passed the pursuing police car he made the offensive gesture.

Another police vehicle joined the pursuit and when Somers tried a similar manoeuvre he was boxed in and caught.

The court heard he has 14 previous convictions for 25 offences, and was banned from driving in December 2018 for driving under the influence of drugs.

In March, at Mansfield Magistrates’ Court, he was jailed for 20 weeks for three counts of assault in Ollerton, on February 2.

Somers, of Kilton Street, Worksop, admitted dangerous driving.

Stefan Fox, mitigating, said Somers’ daughter was born while he was in custody and 'he has never seen her or even seen a picture of her’.

He said Somers has served 83 days in custody, adding: “The prison regime continues to be devastated by the impact of Covid-19.

“Prisoners are still locked up for 23-and-a-half hours a day. He has no opportunity to complete a substance misuse course in his cell. He must face the music and he is candid and realistic about the sentence he will receive.”

Mr Fox described the ‘police pursuit in a busy area' as an 'idiotic mistake’. On Thursday, Judge Simon Mayo QC imposed a nine-month sentence, but suspended it for 18 months, and ordered an alcohol abstinence monitoring requirement for 120 days along with 40 rehabilitation days. Somers was banned from driving for 12 months.