A driver has been jailed after hitting 120mph during a dramatic police chase while behind the wheel of a stolen 4×4 pick-up loaded with scrap metal.
Andrew Biglan, 34, first came to the attention of police who were called to reports of a domestic incident at a property in Newton Reigny, near Penrith, just before noon on June 26.
An officer spotted a stationary Toyota Hilux near Newton Rigg and drove her vehicle towards it — only for the pick-up to scrape past the police van, causing damage, before driving off.
Colleagues spotted the Hilux, driven by Biglan, heading south on the M6 near Shap, and gave chase.
Police initially hit 120mph during the pursuit which followed. “The defendant drove erratically,” prosecutor Steven Ball told Carlisle Crown Court, “weaving in and out of traffic. He was close to other cars and heavy on the brakes.”
Biglan left the motorway at Junction 38 and headed along the A685, flouting speed limits on multiple occasions in the Tebay and Gaisgill areas, driving across white lines and on to the wrong side of the road and motoring over blind summits and bends.
At one stage a van driver was forced off the road and into a hedge, but Biglan — who paused briefly to let a female passenger leave his vehicle — kept going.
He was only brought a halt when police carried out a tactical stop which was captured on dash-cam footage played in court, and resulted in the pick-up overturning as it headed towards Kendal.
Replacement registration plates had been applied with sticky tape and it emerged the vehicle — loaded with scrap metal — had been stolen from Bradford on June 9.
Biglan admitted dangerous driving and illegal possession of both cannabis and diazepam when brought to court having been interviewed after his arrest.
“He admitted to driving the vehicle as fast as he could go, and to driving it dangerously,” said Mr Ball.
Biglan, of no fixed address, had panicked during the eight-minute chase, believing he would be recalled to prison. “He apologises for his behaviour and is thankful that no injury was caused to any other road users,” said Kim Whittlestone, defending.
Recorder Kate Bex imposed an eight-month jail term. Biglan must serve a two-year driving ban when released from custody, and pass an extended re-test.
