A man who stole a Ford Ranger and failed to stop for police in four counties has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Shortly before midnight on 22 October, 29-year-old Darrell Duddin stole the keys to a Ford Ranger, climbed out of the window of his shared, rented accommodation in Reading, and drove the Ford Ranger through Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, and into Lincolnshire.
Duddin, of Beech Court, Lincoln, was working in the Reading area with colleagues. In the evening, after a few beers, they all went to their separate rooms. A short time later, while the others were sleeping, Duddin took the keys to his employer’s Ford Ranger and climbed out of a bedroom window.
Officers first saw Duddin driving the as-yet unreported stolen vehicle on the A46 Coventry Eastern Bypass. When required to stop, Duddin failed to do so.
What followed was a pursuit into Leicestershire along the M69, where Duddin reached speeds of 115 mph. He drove around the Fosse Park area of Leicester, where officers described Duddin’s driving as dangerous. He failed to stop for several red lights and drove at excessive speeds. He then travelled onto the M1 northbound.
He left the motorway at the next junction, driving onto the A46 towards Nottinghamshire.
Pursuit tactics were used to keep Duddin on the A46. He purposefully swerved across the carriageway, obstructing officers while maintaining speeds in excess of 100 mph. Fortunately, there was little traffic on the road at the time of night.
Several decisions are made when a vehicle is pursued. The overriding consideration is safety: the safety of road users and all those involved. A continuous dynamic risk assessment is completed, and a range of tactical options is considered by commanders on the ground and in the force control room.
The pursuit must be authorised and can only be carried out by specialist drivers who have been trained in both police advanced driving and tactical pursuit and containment.
On this occasion, officers were trained, and the pursuit was authorised.
After leaving the Hobby Horse roundabout in Leicestershire, Duddin carried on driving along the A46. Officers were able to put containment tactics in place, which are more commonly known as boxing in a vehicle.
Duddin rammed into one of the pursuit cars a number of times, causing it to leave the road. Thankfully, the officer was not seriously injured, but the police vehicle suffered significant damage. This was an intentional act to avoid arrest by the officers. Duddin continued at speeds in excess of 100 mph along the A46, still pursued by a Leicestershire officer and now tracked by colleagues from the National Police Air Service (NPAS).
Officers were again able to safely use pursuit tactics as the vehicle left the Farndon roundabout on the A46. A stinger was deployed, which deflated at least one of the tyres of the Ford Ranger; despite struggling to control his vehicle, he continued driving, leaving a trail of sparks and chunks of metal from the now-deflated wheel as it contacted the road surface.
As Duddin negotiated the next roundabout, the wheel rim from the Ranger spun off and came to rest on the actual roundabout. Duddin continued along the A46, driving on the spokes of one of the wheels and struggling to drive in a straight line.
As he drove into Lincolnshire, officers from the Specialist Operations team again used containment tactics and brought the pursuit to an end. The Ford Ranger was boxed in, leaving Duddin nowhere to go. Again, he drove into the rear of a police vehicle that was in front of him, blocking his path. The Ford Ranger was brought to a halt. With police cars in front, to his left side, and behind him, and an Armco barrier to his right, Duddin had nowhere to go. He fled the vehicle and ran into the opposing carriageway, where he was detained and arrested. He was found to be in possession of a knife.
Inspector Jason Baxter, from our Roads Policing Team, said: “Safety is our first priority, and all forces will consider the tactics available to them with safety in mind.
“I am very relieved that no one was seriously injured through Duddin’s complete disregard for safety. He drove dangerously at excessive speeds, intentionally ramming two police cars and putting road users and officers at risk.
“We were able to bring an exceptionally dangerous and disqualified driver to a halt. It’s credit to all of the officers involved, including our colleagues in NPAS. This was a dynamic and fast-moving pursuit, which was brought to a safe conclusion. This truly was a cross-border operation and shows there are no boundaries in policing.”
Duddin was charged with dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance, and possessing a knife in a public place. He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.
He was sentenced today at Lincoln Crown Court to 18 months in prison.