Nathan Owen, 33, collided with a police car 31 times after faking an emergency to have his electric Jaguar written off, Liverpool Crown Court heard. He was sentenced to four years and three months in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and two counts of fraud.
Faked 999 call triggers major police response
Owen phoned 999 claiming his Jaguar was accelerating on its own and he could not stop. He drove at speeds up to 86mph on the M58, M57 and M62 in Merseyside for about 35 minutes, covering about 38 miles on March 6, 2024.
The incident triggered a "significant" police response, with motorways closed as officers tried to stop what they believed was a runaway vehicle. Investigations later showed there was nothing wrong with the car, and Owen was in full control throughout.
Financial motive behind the fraud
Prosecutor Eric Lamb said Owen, of Prestatyn, North Wales, had entered a finance agreement in September 2023 for the Jaguar I-Pace. By March 2024, he was in arrears with CA Auto Finance, with about £5,000 left to pay.
On the day of the incident, Owen called loan company Plata to ask for more money on top of his existing £3,000 loan but was refused. Five minutes later, at around 2pm, he called 999 claiming his car would not brake. In fact, his car was stationary at the time of the call.
Court hears of dangerous driving
The car, travelling at up to 86mph, had to be boxed off by emergency vehicles to protect other road users before stopping on the M62 near Warrington, Cheshire. Investigations found no fault with the vehicle.
Mr Lamb said: "He had fabricated the events in order to enable him to get rid of the vehicle. He had full control of the vehicle and with full control of the vehicle he travelled at excessive and extreme speeds."
Footage of the pursuit and audio of the 999 call were played in court, in which Owen told an operator he was "shaking" and the car had "gone crazy". When the car stopped, brake lights were seen turning on.
Judge condemns 'profit from a lie'
Sentencing, Judge Ian Unsworth KC said: "You set in train a course of conduct which caused a significant police traffic operation to be deployed, undoubted alarm to the public and very substantial loss and disruption to others." He added: "You, meanwhile, sought to profit from a lie."
Owen contacted the finance company 40 minutes after the incident and was later paid £300 by The Sun and £500 by the Daily Mail for his story. Jaguar Land Rover UK said it spent an extra £50 million in marketing to counter the adverse publicity, which generated 180 pieces of negative coverage.
Defending, Daniel Travers called Owen's actions "frighteningly stupid". He said Owen, who had no previous convictions and came from a "successful, stable family", had been described by his father as a Walter Mitty character who "lives in a fantasy world". He added: "He had grand ideas and things just went wrong."
Owen was banned from driving for five years after his release from custody. A charge of causing a public nuisance was ordered to lie on the file.
Merseyside Police's Detective Constable Michael Doyle said: "It was clear from our investigations that he was in full control of his vehicle throughout the duration of the incident. By his own admission there were workers on the hard shoulder of the motorway and he clearly put them and other road users in danger with his reckless actions."
