Connor Riddell: Disqualified driver jailed after high-speed police pursuit
- Published
Police also discovered a picture of Connor Riddell posing with a stolen Jaguar car
A disqualified driver has been jailed for more than two years after speeding at nearly three times the legal limit to try to evade police.
Connor Riddell, 23, from Durham, was at the wheel of a Range Rover on the A690 near Sunderland in November 2020.
When told to pull over by officers, Riddell accelerated and only narrowly avoided hitting other cars.
He reached speeds of 85mph in a 30mph zone before police used a stinger device to burst his tyres.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
While on bail for that offence, Riddell drove on two other occasions.
Officers also discovered a picture posted on Facebook showing Riddell and another man posing with a stolen £20,000 Jaguar car.
'Absolutely appalling'
Riddell, of Kell Crescent, Sherburn, Durham, pleaded guilty to a string of offences on Monday at Newcastle Crown Court including three counts of dangerous driving, five counts of driving whilst disqualified, handling stolen goods, possession of a Class B drug and taking a conveyance without authority.
He was jailed for two years and nine months and banned from driving for a further four years and four months.
Det Con Chris Sengelow of Northumbria Police said Riddell had shown a "total disregard for the law" and "proven he cannot be trusted to be behind the wheel of a car".
"I am delighted that the severity of his widespread offending has been reflected in this custodial sentence," he added.
"The manner of his driving was absolutely appalling and his decisions could so easily have resulted in a fatality. It is sheer luck that nobody was injured.
"We will continue to do everything we can to ensure anybody who selfishly endangers the lives of others is brought to justice."
Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, external, Facebook, external and Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk, external.