BMW driver, 33, who led police on ‘shocking’ 160mph police chase after ramming one of their cars is jailed
- Thomas Whitaker, 33, admitted dangerous driving on the A1079 at Wilberfoss
A BMW driver who led police on a ‘shocking’ 160mph police chase after ramming one of their cars has been jailed.
Thomas Whitaker, 33, made a telephone call to report the car as stolen after the chase but the police proved it was him behind the wheel.
He was convicted of speeding just two weeks after the dangerous driving incident and later received a second speeding ticket, Hull Crown Court heard.
Whitaker, of Allerthorpe, near Pocklington, admitted dangerous driving on the A1079 at Wilberfoss on July 12, 2020 and perverting the course of justice on July 14 that year.
Amber Hobson, prosecuting, said that Whitaker was driving a light blue BMW at 7.28pm when police in three separate unmarked cars tried to stop him and box him in.
Thomas Whitaker, 33, (pictured) has been jailed after he led police on a ‘shocking’ 160mph police chase after ramming one of their cars
Hull Crown Court (pictured) heard Whitaker was convicted of speeding just two weeks after the dangerous driving incident and later received a second speeding ticket
He rammed and ‘disabled’ one of the cars, causing damage to a front wheel and door and drove off, reaching a speed of 100mph and crossing over white lines.
Whitaker hurtled along at 140mph several times and even reached 160mph.
‘He was able to make off at significant speed from the police and made good his escape from the officers,’ said Ms Hobson.
The speeds were the fastest sustained speed for that length of time during a pursuit that one of the police officers involved had seen. The chase lasted six minutes in total.
The BMW was reported as being found in a field at a deer park at 8.40pm. The driver’s licence was found.
Two days later Whitaker reported to the police that his car had been stolen. During police interview, he denied being the driver and claimed he had not reported his vehicle as stolen.
He had, however, told his girlfriend on March 1, 2021 that he was involved in a car chase.
He had convictions for nine previous offences, including speeding on July 28, 2020 and September 14 last year – both after the police chase incident.
Whitaker, of Allerthorpe, near Pocklington, admitted dangerous driving on the A1079 at Wilberfoss on July 12, 2020 and perverting the course of justice on July 14 of that year
Rachel Scott, mitigating, said the dangerous driving was three years ago and, since then, Whitaker had made significant progress. It looked like he was ‘going to get away with’ the incident because of the long delay in the case.
He accepted that he was the driver, although he had previously denied this. He did not make any claim on his insurance that the car had been stolen but he did make a telephone call to the police to say that it had been taken.
‘He was hoping that this would go away,’ said Ms Scott. ‘He hasn’t come forward to the police to say that this wasn’t true. This defendant hasn’t even made a claim on his own insurance because he knew that it would be a false claim.
‘It was a phone call to the police. It was an incredibly serious offence.’
Whitaker had a four-month-old daughter, who was brought into court by her mother with permission from the judge. The mother was pregnant with another child on the way.
‘He no longer drinks or takes any illegal substances,’ said Ms Scott.
Whitaker owned two businesses, involving bricklaying and house renovations, with a friend. He had six employees and sub-contractors.
Judge Kate Rayfield said: ‘He has hoped that this would go away and that he would get away with the dangerous driving. He has been convicted twice of speeding since this incident.’
‘Your driving was shocking,’ said Judge Rayfield. ‘It’s a single-lane carriageway with numerous other cars travelling in both directions. You were overtaking cars with little or no view of oncoming traffic.
‘It’s a miracle that there was no accident. If you had collided with a car or a pedestrian, you could easily have killed someone.’ This would have led to ‘lives being torn apart’.
‘The public must know that those who put the lives of others at risk in this way will go immediately to prison,’ said Judge Rayfield.
The delay in bringing the case was partly because the police had to prove that Whitaker was the driver and that he had lied.
Whitaker was jailed for 21 months and was banned from driving for one year, with an extra disqualification period after that to take account of his time in prison.
He will have to pass an extended retest before he can drive legally again.
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