Mansfield driver in 120mph chase claimed his car was stolen but failed to delete tracking data
A Mansfield driver who suffers from post-traumatic flashbacks after a serious assault by police led officers on a dangerous 120mph pursuit and later tried to claim his car had been stolen before messing up a bid to delete the tracking data, a court has heard.
Richard Gallimore undertook an unmarked police car at speed in a grey Mini Cooper in Sutton, at 7pm on March 30 last year, said Lucky Thandi, prosecuting.
They followed to assess his driving and saw him overtake other vehicles, drive aggressively, and force oncoming drivers to take evasive action.
Gallimore ignored the officers’ lights and sirens and a three-minute pursuit saw him weaving in and out of vehicles, cross a raised central kerb at speed and reach 120mph in a 60mph zone.
Due to heavy traffic and bends on the road he outran the police who lost him on Lichfield Lane.
His Mini Cooper was found abandoned and two hours later Gallimore reported the car had been stolen sometime around 6.30pm.
On April 1 he sent a data deletion request to the firm that tracks his car, claiming the device was faulty and the car was located in the sea.
But he got the dates back to front and had to submit another request on April 9.
Richard Pratt KC, mitigating, said Gallimore, of previous good character, deserved credit for his guilty plea and his refusal to sign a police statement showed a man who “didn’t want to dig a bigger hole for himself.”
Nottingham Crown Court heard the self-employed landlord has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and can’t use his left arm following a serious road accident that wasn’t his fault.
That arm was subsequently injured by police officers “who were acting disgracefully” and Gallimore received £10,000 in damages.
Judge Stuart Rafferty KC told him his driving that night “almost defies description” and he went from “normal to abnormal behaviour in just a few moments.”
He said it was “an odd thing” for the defendant, who suffers from flashbacks, to drive a car capable of 150mph.
Gallimore, 36, of Rockcliffe Grange, Mansfield, admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop, and perverting the course of justice at a previous hearing.
On Wednesday he was sentenced to 13 months, suspended for two years, and was disqualified for 12 months.