Martin Stokes, 20, has been jailed for 32 months after leading police on a high-speed chase that reached 140mph with a 15-year-old child in a stolen Ford Mustang, before threatening to kill emergency workers.
Stokes was pursued by officers along the M4 in Wiltshire before driving the wrong way towards oncoming motorists on the A419 and the A420. Dash cam footage shows the car roaring through red lights as he attempted to evade police.
Dangerous driving on Wiltshire roads
During the pursuit, Stokes drove head-on towards motorcyclists, cars and HGVs, and repeatedly rammed police cars on the A420 outside Watchfield. After being cornered by three police cars and caught near Swindon, he got out of the car and made threats to kill.
Bodycam footage shows Stokes handcuffed on the floor, telling an officer, "Let me up. Just you and me, one-on-one... I'm telling you I'll hurt you when I see you again. You're going to hurt. I'm going to kill you."
Pc Ben Greening from Wiltshire Police's Roads Policing Unit said Stokes's driving was "some of the most dangerous" he has seen.
Chase from Bristol to Swindon
The chase began just before 9pm on Wednesday, July 8, when Stokes led police on a high-speed pursuit from Bristol to Swindon. Stokes, of no fixed address, was on conditional bail with an interim disqualification from driving when he was spotted behind the wheel by Avon and Somerset Police. He collided with another car before speeding off.
He continued onto the M4, where he was seen driving down the wrong side of the motorway into head-on traffic. Wiltshire Police picked up the chase, and officers witnessed Stokes narrowly avoid multiple crashes.
Court sentencing and judge's remarks
Judge Jason Taylor KC said: "The danger was just off the scale. They [other drivers on the road] must have been filled with terror as they saw you approaching. You were a hair's breadth away from tragedy. It's a matter of luck that multiple fatalities were avoided."
He added: "It's clear to me that you have utter contempt and disregard for driving laws. You seem to think they don't apply to you. You had a 15-year-old in the car. You're a complete menace that every road user would have a right to be afraid of."
Judge Taylor also noted: "You were spitting and trying to headbutt officers and you said to one officer he was lucky you hadn't killed him on the road."
Guilty pleas and sentence
Stokes pleaded guilty at Swindon Crown Court to driving dangerously, driving while disqualified, driving with no insurance, two counts of making threats to kill a paramedic, criminal damage, one count of making threats to kill a police officer and one count of assaulting a police officer.
He was sentenced on Friday, October 16, to 32 months in prison. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Taylor was forced to pause to ask the defendant, who appeared disengaged on the video link: "Am I boring you?"
His defence lawyer said Stokes was remorseful for threatening to kill emergency workers and he had "never intended to carry out those actions." She told the court that since being in custody, Stokes has engaged with a drug and alcohol course and got a job as a prison cleaner.
Stokes already had a lengthy criminal record, with 24 convictions for over 80 offences, many of which date back to his childhood. The judge told the court that he would have given a longer sentence, but he was restricted by legal guidelines.
Stokes's licence has also been endorsed with penalty points, and he was disqualified from driving for 76 months. When the disqualification ends, he will have to take an extended retest to get his licence again.
