Amazon driver spared jail after Cotswold police chase

Madalin Zaharenco only had a provisional licence and was unsupervised when he was stopped by police

An Amazon worker who reached speeds of 115mph in a seven-mile police chase in the Cotswolds has been spared jail.

Madalin Zaharenco drove "insanely" to avoid police because he had only a provisional licence, Gloucester Crown Court was told.

Judge Ian Lawrie KC told Zaharenco his driving could have killed his passenger and other road users.

Zaharenco admitted driving dangerously in his Audi A6 car and not having a valid licence.

The 22-year-old, of Hylder Close, Swindon, was sentenced to a two-year community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation activity days.

He was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to pay £340 costs.

Chris Pembridge, defending, said: "He expresses his remorse, his sincere apologies, for what happened and for his actions which were - on any account - a catastrophic lack of judgement."

'Absolute stupidity'

Judge Lawrie said: "I am treating this as an aberration of judgement by you, putting everyone at risk, but I still cannot fathom why you did it, apart from absolute stupidity.

"You drove a significant distance at high speed and you ignored police instructions to stop.

"You put lots of people at risk of harm, or indeed death."

Zaharenco was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court

Prosecutor Edward Hollingsworth told the court that at midday on 21 March, PC Joshua Norris was driving an unmarked police car on the A417 dual carriageway near Cirencester when he saw Zaharenco's car and suspected it was exceeding the 70mph limit.

The officer kept pace with the Audi for almost two miles and saw that its average speed was 94mph, the prosecutor said.

When PC Norris attempted to stop Zaharenco he initially seemed to be complying but then accelerated to more than 115mph.

The pursuit that ensued covered 6.8 miles (11km). At one point the Audi exceeded 100mph in Cirencester town centre.

'I was scared'

Mr Pembridge told the court Zaharenco's behaviour was triggered by "a mixture of youth, naivety and panic", and he had no previous criminal convictions.

Zaharenco told the judge: "I realise how many problems I am causing my family by my stupidity, because of my actions.

"I never had any interaction with the police before. I was just scared."

Judge Lawrie said: "You merit custody but a community order is far more constructive in trying to help you to make sure you don't commit offences like this again."

Zaharenco will have to take a driving test before he can regain his a licence.

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