A man with 87 offences on his record has been sentenced after leading police on a high-speed pursuit on the A1 in Northumberland during heavy rain. Brandon Durning, 25, reached speeds of 130mph before officers brought the chase to an end with a tactical stop.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that Durning, who had reported that he intended to crash his VW Tiguan in a bid to harm himself, was located by officers on the A1 at Morpeth. When they indicated for him to pull over, he sped off, prompting a three-minute pursuit on the southbound carriageway.
Pursuit and tactical stop
Prosecutor Jasmine Dodds said that in the early hours of June 10 this year, Durning had made threats to self-harm by crashing his vehicle. She told the court: "A VW Tiguan was identified as the defendant's vehicle and he was located driving at speed on the A1 southbound."
An officer started a pursuit of the vehicle and, during that time, it reached speeds of over 100mph. When the blue lights and sirens were activated, the speed increased to 130mph, which was recorded throughout the pursuit as the vehicle continued on the A1.
Further police vehicles joined the pursuit and performed a tactical stop. Durning drove up onto a grass verge and stopped, but officers feared the vehicle would tip over because it was so slanted on the verge.
Court sentencing
Durning, of North Ridge in Whitley Bay, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving when he appeared before magistrates last month. He was given a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
Recorder Simon Eckersley said that because the jail term was under 12 months, new sentencing guidelines meant he had to suspend it. He told Durning: "You're only 25 and yet you have appeared before the criminal courts 48 previous times for a total of 87 offences - 87 at the age of 25. You have an appalling criminal record for somebody your age."
The recorder added that Durning had committed serious offences of violence with weapons in the past and had a terrible history for driving, noting that he had received a sentence for dangerous driving in 2021.
Durning was also given an 18-month driving disqualification and must sit an extended retest before getting his licence back. He was ordered to do 180 hours of unpaid work.
