Disqualified Mansfield driver jailed after speeding at 70 mph through residential roads to escape police

Samuel Pickering, 30, was spotted driving with no insurance on Yoke Street, Mansfield Woodhouse in the afternoon of Friday, January 29 this year.

While an officer attempted to pull up alongside the uninsured and disqualified driver, Pickering then accelerated away, ignoring the blue lights behind him and speeding through residential areas in an attempt to escape police.

The 30-year-old then passed on the wrong side of the road through a set of red lights at the junction of Sherwood Street and Debdale Lane.

Pickering reached speeds of up to 70 miles per hour as he drove along Vale Road, where other drivers were forced to swerve out of the way to avoid a collision.

He then turned into Brown Avenue and the vehicle began swerving from side to side, but the 30-year-old uninsured and disqualified driver continued to speed at up to 60 miles per house before joining Beech Avenue.

After speeding through Spion Kop at more than twice the legal speed limit, Pickering was slowed down by traffic on his arrival into Warsop, where he again forced other road users to swerve as he drove on the wrong side of the road according to police.

The 30-year-old finally left the road in Birch Street, where he began driving a long a muddy public footpath in a desperate bid to escape officers who were chasing him.

His Vauxhall Corsa was soon found abandoned in nearby woodland and Pickering was arrested around 20 minutes later after he was spotted covered in mud in Warsop Vale by an aircraft from the National Police Air Service..

Pickering’s keys, which he had thrown into a bush in a bid to cover his tracks were later sniffed out by a police dog.

The 30-year-old, of Gladstone Street, Mansfield, admitted to charges of dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance.

He appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on February 22 where he was handed a sentence of 14 months in prison.

Pickering was also disqualified from driving for three years and seven months, and ordered to take an extended retest if he ever wants to get his license back.

District commander for Mansfield Inspector Nick Butler said: “Driving of this nature is reckless in the extreme and puts other people’s lives at risk.

"As police officers we see the aftermath of high speed road traffic accidents all too frequently – people seriously injured and even killed on our roads.

"We also witness the wider emotional impact on the families of those involved.

“A moment of madness on the roads really can lead to a life sentence for a family who lose a loved one and it’s important that we do everything we can to prevent this.

"That’s why my officers focus every day on tackling so called Fatal Four offences – speeding, drink and drug driving, mobile phone use and not wearing a seat belt.

“There is simply no excuse for this kind of behaviour and I hope this offender uses this experience to change his ways for the better.”

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