A former teaching assistant who invented a brake failure on his electric Jaguar to escape a car finance agreement he could not afford has been jailed. Nathan Owen, 33, of The Grove in Prestatyn, called 999 claiming his car was unstoppable, prompting a 38-mile police pursuit on the M62. Officers had to box him in to stop the vehicle, but later found no fault with it.
Fabricated emergency
Owen took out the finance agreement for the Jaguar iPace with CA Auto Finance UK Ltd on March 8, 2023. A month later, he borrowed an additional £3,000 from Plata, with interest of £2,420.23, repayable at £90 per month. He fell into arrears after losing jobs due to poor attendance.
On March 6, 2024, Owen called 999, claiming his car 'wouldn't brake' and was 'accelerating away from him'. In a recorded call, he said: 'I dunno how to explain it. My car's not stopping. My car's stuck at 78mph and I'm going down a motorway. I can't slow down.' In reality, his car was stationary at the time.
High-speed chase and collisions
Police pursued Owen across the M58, M57 and M62, reaching speeds of 86mph. He went through red lights, texted his girlfriend while driving, and collided with a police car 31 times. The motorway was closed, causing significant delays and risking harm to officers and motorists.
Data from the car showed the acceleration and braking worked correctly. Owen then contacted his finance company 40 minutes later to report the supposed incident, and later sold his story to the S*n and Daily Mail for £300 and £500 respectively.
Impact and sentencing
Jaguar Land Rover spent £50 million to counter adverse publicity following 180 media articles about the incident. Owen admitted dangerous driving and two counts of fraud by false representation.
Judge Ian Unsworth KC sentenced him to four years and three months, saying: 'You deliberately created the false appearance of a catastrophic Jaguar motor vehicle malfunction and drove dangerously for some 38 miles, causing a major police operation and widespread public alarm.'
Owen's father, who suffers from diabetes and a serious eye condition, gasped in the public gallery as the sentence was read. Owen showed no reaction. He will be banned from driving for five years after release and must pass an extended retest.
