Dangerous driver jailed after police chase in Staffordshire
A driver who abandoned a stolen vehicle has been jailed following a police pursuit in Staffordshire.
Matthew Mark Stevens, aged 24, from Bentilee, was driving behind the wheel of a Vauxhall Crossland when he failed to stop for officers from the Staffordshire Police Road Crime Team (RCT) on the A34 between Stone and Stafford on June 24.
Stevens sped down rural lanes and made an abrupt U-turn on a farm track before driving off-road in an attempt to evade pursuing police.
Get the latest headlines delivered straight to your inbox with the Express & Star’s free newsletter
Officers pursued Stevens onto the A51 where the car turned left towards Stone before taking a right onto Hildrestone Road.
After travelling around two miles at around 80mph, he dangerously overtook another vehicle before colliding with the side of an Audi Q3.
Following the collision, the Audi's airbags were deployed, with the crash causing heavy damage to both vehicles.
The driver of the Audi, a woman, did not suffer life-threatening or life-changing injuries.
Following the crash, Stevens and a single passenger in the Crossland left the vehicle and made off into nearby farmland.
Upon searching the area, a blue jacket and a mobile phone were recovered from a hedgerow near the last sighting of the suspect, and a positive identification by pursuing officers meant that Stevens was later arrested and charged.
He was jailed for 19 months on Tuesday, October 28, after pleading guilty to driving a vehicle dangerously, driving whilst disqualified and aggravated vehicle taking.
PC Thomas Cordall, from the RCT, said: "We welcome this sentence.
"Not only did Stevens fail to stop for our officers, he drove at dangerous speeds, carried out dangerous manoeuvres that meant other motorists had to take evasive action, crashed and then ran off to avoid justice.
"All this after taking a vehicle without consent."
