A sex offender led police on a high-speed chase reaching 85mph along winding country roads in Kent, all while never releasing his vape. Jordan McGrath-Culstock, 26, was spotted by patrol officers on April 11 driving a vehicle with no tax or valid MOT. Checks revealed the car was registered to him and that he was disqualified from driving.
Helicopter pursuit and foot chase
When McGrath-Culstock failed to stop, officers pursued with assistance from the National Police Air Service, which tracked the car from overhead. In footage from the police helicopter, he is seen crashing into a fence, then dashing his phone but not his vape before fleeing on foot across farmers' fields. Throughout the foot chase, he kept the vape in his hand, prompting officers to order him to 'get it out [of] your hand.'
Breach of sexual harm prevention order
McGrath-Culstock was subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order that prohibited him from possessing a phone without notifying police. The discarded phone was later recovered. He was charged with dangerous driving, two counts of failing to comply with the sex offenders register requirements, and two counts of breaching a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
Sentencing and reaction
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced on June 26 at Maidstone Crown Court to more than two years in prison, less than six months after being released from prison. Police staff investigator Natalie Armstrong said: 'He showed a complete disregard for the restrictions that allowed him to live in the community and was arrogant enough to believe he could get away with it. When spotted by a patrol he endangered other road users and seemed more concerned about his vape than the potential consequences of his driving. It is only right he is back in jail and he will receive additional scrutiny when he is eventually released.'
