Wanted man jailed following pursuit through East Cheshire

A wanted man from Stoke, who led officers on a 90mph pursuit through Crewe and Cheshire East, has been jailed.

John Whitmore, of Mayer Street in Stoke-on-Trent, appeared at Chester Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 22nd July where he was sentenced to 12 months in prison and banned from driving for two years and six months.

The case began on Monday 23 June, when officers in the eastern area of Cheshire had convened in Crewe to launch Operation Crossbow, a day of cross-departmental activity targeting criminality on the county’s roads.

At 9.30am, officers in Crewe town centre signalled a blue Mazda 3 on Willaston Road to pull over; after noticing it was being driven by a man, who would later be revealed as Whitmore. Officers’ suspicions had been raised when checks on the vehicle revealed that, according to insurance, the vehicle was only registered to be driven by a female driver.

Initially, the car complied and pulled into the car park of a supermarket but quickly left the scene, leading officers to activate emergency equipment and engage in a pursuit.

Following the vehicle through Crewe town centre and out into Cheshire East, the vehicle travelled at excess speeds through multiple built-up areas with 30mph speed limits, and driving at 90mph on 70mph roads, and driving through multiple red lights.

Pursuing officers also observed the vehicle driving the wrong way around a number of roundabouts and forcing vehicles out of its way at high speeds.

The vehicle eventually came to a stop after it stalled, with Whitmore giving himself up and being arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and failing to stop.

A driving licence check showed that Whitmore was a provisional licence holder only but also disqualified until he passed a test. He would be further arrested for these offences.

After being arrested, a subsequent drug wipe resulted in Whitmore testing positive for cannabis and officers discovering that he had, up until that point, been wanted for failing to appear in court for diving whilst disqualified.

In custody, officers interviewed Whitmore and asked him why he chose to flee from officers and proceed to drive at such high speeds in an attempt to flee. He responded that he “panicked” and answered no comment to all other questioned put to him.

Despite his refusal to answer officers’ questions, the 29-year-old was subsequently charged and pleaded guilty to guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance and driving without insurance.

Inspector Dan Welch, of the Crewe Local Policing Unit's Neighbourhood Team, said:

“John Whitmore really did choose the worst day possible, a day of intensified action tackling criminality on our roads, to decide to get behind the wheel of a vehicle that was not registered to him, without a licence and he only made it worth for himself by attempting escape justice and accepting accountability for his actions.

“The irony is, Mr Whitmore is now facing a much more severe sentence than he would have if he had not chosen to flee police through Crewe town centre and other built up areas at dangerously high speeds, causing several motorists to take evasive manoeuvres and putting not only his own life at risk, but that of his passenger, other road users, pedestrians and the officer in pursuit of his vehicle that witnessed driving at over 90mph – a speed that is not acceptable on any road.

“Road’s safety remains a top priority for the Constabulary and our officers work tirelessly to keep Cheshire's roads safe for all road users, regardless of what they drive. Along with providing education around the Fatal Five offences, safe and courteous driving, we will always take swift action against those who feel that the rules of the road do not apply to them of the vehicle they are driving."

Pictured - John Whitmore of Mayer Street in Stoke-on-Trent.

Video - The police pursuit of John Whitmore.