Jailed after four-county police chase

A Lincoln man who stole a Ford Ranger, rammed police cars and failed to stop for officers in four counties has been sentenced to 18 months in prison.  

Lincoln Crown Court Shortly heard that on October 22 Darrell Duddin, 29, stole the keys of a Ford Ranger, climbed out of the window of his shared, rented accommodation in Reading and drove the Ford Ranger through Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and into Lincolnshire. 

Duddin, of Beech Court, Lincoln, was working in the Reading area when he took the keys of his employer’s vehicle shortly before midnight and was seen by police driving it on the A46 Coventry Eastern Bypass. 

He failed to stop for officers when he was pursued into Leicestershire along the M69 where Duddin reached speeds of 115mph.  His driving in the Fosse Park area of Leicester was described as dangerous - he failed to stop for several red lights and drove at excessive speeds. 

After taking the M1 northbound Duddin left the motorway onto the A46 towards Nottinghamshire where pursuit tactics were used to keep him, on the A46. He purposefully swerved around across the carriageway obstructing officers, while maintaining speeds over 100mph.  Fortunately, there was little traffic on the road for the time of night.   

Officers boxed in the vehicle, but Duddin rammed into one of the pursuit cars several  times causing it to leave the road.  The police driver was not seriously injured but the vehicle suffered significant damage as Duddin acted to avoid arrest.

He continued driving at over 100mph along the A46, still pursued by a Leicestershire officer and now tracked by the National Police Air Service (NPAS). 

At Fardon a stinger was deployed which deflated at least one of the tyres of the Ford Ranger, but Dudding continued driving leaving a trail of sparks and chunks of metal. As Duddin struggled to control the Ranger containment tactics were again used by officers when he drove into Lincolnshire and the Specialist Operations team was able to stop him – despite the ramming of another police vehicle.

The court heard that he fled the vehicle, but was detained, arrested and found to be carrying a knife.  

Inspector Jason Baxter, from our Roads Policing Team, said: “Safety is our first priority and all forces will consider the tactics available to them with safety in mind.  

“I am very relieved that no one was seriously injured through Duddin’s complete disregard for safety.  He drove dangerously at excessive speeds, intentionally ramming two police cars and put road users and officers at risk. 

“We were able to bring an exceptionally dangerous and disqualified driver to a halt.  It’s credit to all of the officers involved, including our colleagues in NPAS.  This was a dynamic and fast-moving pursuit which was brought to a safe conclusion.  This truly was a cross-border operation and shows there are no boundaries in policing.   

Duddin was charged with dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance and possessing a knife in a public place.  

He had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.  

Pictures released by police show Duddin climbing out of his rented accommodation; the damage to the Ford Ranger and the scene after it had been boxed in,