Footage of dangerous drug-driver released by Dyfed-Powys Police
Dyfed-Powys Police has released footage of a drug-driver who who drove through a stretch of roadworks on the wrong side of the road, putting other drivers and pedestrians at risk.
Christopher Brown – who has never passed a driving test – led officers on a pursuit through Milford Haven, endangering lives, hitting a parked car, and eventually trying to hide from officers. The 31-year-old drove so dangerously that Pembrokeshire Roads Policing Unit (RPU) officers were no longer able to follow him for fear that he could cause a serious collision.
Brown appeared at Swansea Crown Court on Monday (November 23), where he was sentenced to 14 months in prison.
The incident unfolded on Friday, October 23, when an RPU officer attempted to stop Brown as he drove out of The Mount estate at speed. He failed to stop and proceeded to drive on the wrong side of the road to get away from officers.
Pembrokeshire RPU Police Constable Richard Mycroft said: “This was an incredibly dangerous pursuit, which saw the defendant drive into the path of oncoming vehicles at a set of temporary traffic lights, and through a stop sign.
“An off-duty officer was forced to take action to avoid being hit as Brown drove towards him, and we had no option but to stop following when he swerved into a coned area of roadworks where a number of people were working.”
The defendant went on to collide with a parked car, causing more than £900 of damage, before getting out of his car and laying on the ground in an attempt to hide from police.
PC Mycroft added: “A witness told officers her children had been playing outside, and fears if Brown had driven around the corner seconds before, he could have hit them. This manner of driving is completely reckless, totally unacceptable, and could have had a tragic outcome.
“The number of lives Brown put in danger through driving into oncoming traffic, through roadworks and into residential streets at speed is beyond comprehension.”
Brown was charged with dangerous driving, driving with no insurance, driving while disqualified, failing to stop when requested by police, and possession of cannabis. His vehicle, which had no insurance, tax or MOT, was also seized. He admitted all five offences and also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of driving while unfit through drugs.
