A drink-driver has been sentenced following a night time road chase in which a police officer hit 111mph as he tried to keep up through a West Cumbrian village with a 30mph limit.
Farm worker Mark Batty, 31, came to the attention of an officer in a stationary marked vehicle on the A596 in a silver Volvo S40 thought to be travelling too fast. As the officer pulled out to try and catch up, at 3.55am on April 30, Batty “disappeared into the distance” through Flimby, Workington magistrates’ court heard today.
Dash cam footage played by the prosecution showed the police officer hit a top speed of 111mph. The PC later recalled he was only just matching the distant Volvo which was seen to brake so hard its rear lights were flashing.
Batty turned right twice on narrow lanes lined with parked cars, and then a third time on to a dirt track before stopping outside his family home in the village’s Church Road. The video footage showed him walking towards the officer who then heard him say: “Daft that, eh. Steaming as well.”
The PC had later concluded: “It is only good fortune that no one was killed or injured due to his driving.”
Batty, a man with no previous convictions to his name, admitted drink-driving having been just over the legal limit when tested in the aftermath, and dangerous driving.
Mark Shepherd, defending, said he had acted in a blind panic. “He is contrite,” said Mr Shepherd. “This is a classic case, in my submission, of a good man doing a bad thing.”
Addressing magistrates directly, Batty said he was really sorry.
A six-month prison sentence was suspended for 18 months. Batty must complete a two-year driving ban, and then take an extended retest.
