Dangerous van driver spared jail after police chase

A DRINK driver who nipped to the shops to buy cigarettes led police on an 80mph van chase through the streets.

Louie Cheetham tried to escape officers after they spotted a Transit Connect as it accelerated aggressively on Manchester Road, Bolton, in the early hours of May 30.

Mark Stephenson, prosecuting, told Bolton Crown Court how the van pulled into a petrol station but then drove away fast towards Farnworth.

Instead of stopping when police activated their blue lights, 21-year-old Cheetham tried to flee, overtaking several other cars and turning into Hall Lane at Moses Gate, reaching speeds of 80mph on the 30mph road.

“He forced another vehicle to take evasive action and accelerated over a mini roundabout,” said Mr Stephenson.

Cheetham tried to lose his pursuers in a housing estate, careering over speed bumps.

“The officer says that he was driving at 40 to 50mph and the vehicle was accelerating away from him with no regard whatsoever for the speed bumps that were in the road,” said Mr Stephenson.

Cheetham headed over a pavement and grassed area and the officer lost sight of him, but the force helicopter was deployed and he was caught, having parked the van outside his home in Boscow Road, Little Lever. Tests revealed he had drunk just under double the legal drink drive limit.

He pleaded guilty to drink driving, dangerous driving, having no licence or insurance and failing to stop for police.

Paul Treble, defending, stressed that Cheetham, who works for his brother’s media scaffolding firm, has no previous convictions and had gone to get cigarettes after having five or six drinks.

“He knows he shouldn’t have done that, but he did and when he saw the police officer he panicked,” said Mr Treble

He added that, on the night the traffic was light and there were no pedestrians.

“This was a very bad piece of driving â€" the defendant accepts that,” said Mr Treble.

“Fortunately there wasn’t as much risk as perhaps there could have been.”

Judge Graeme Smith described Cheetham’s driving as “wholly unacceptable” but accepted it was out of character.

Cheetham was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months and was ordered to undertake 160 hours of unpaid work plus 10 days of rehabilitation activities.

He was banned from driving for 12 months after which he will have to take an extended driving test.

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