A 23-year-old Nigerian man, Michael Chiedu Nwanze, has been sentenced to 13 months in prison in the UK after leading police on a high-speed chase through Northampton.
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Nwanze was arrested on March 10 after officers attempted to stop him over an uninsured vehicle, but he reportedly sped off and reached speeds of over 100mph while ignoring traffic lights and putting other road users at risk.
His escape came to an end when he crashed into several vehicles near the Wilby Way roundabout after getting trapped in heavy traffic.
He later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and failing to stop for police.
He was sentenced at Northampton Crown Court in June.
Instead of stopping, Nwanze fled, triggering a pursuit through Cheyne Walk and Bedford Road before continuing onto the A45.
Police eventually brought the chase to an end near Wellingborough after Nwanze encountered stationary traffic at the Wilby Way roundabout.
During the pursuit, he reportedly ran several red lights, reached speeds of 70mph in 40mph zones and exceeded 100mph while travelling on the dual carriageway.
His attempt to escape came to an end when he collided with several vehicles while trying to navigate through the stationary traffic.
Officers subsequently boxed in his vehicle, allowing them to arrest him.
Nwanze was charged with several offences, including dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence and failing to stop for police.
He pleaded guilty to the offences at Northampton Crown Court in April before returning to the same court in June, where he was sentenced to 13 months in prison.
Lead investigator PC Thomas Williams, from Northamptonshire Police’s Roads Policing Team, said: “As you can see from the footage, Nwanze’s actions that day showed a complete disregard for the safety of other
road users and pedestrians.
“During the pursuit, he drove at excessive speeds, ignored traffic signals and put countless people at risk in an attempt to avoid being stopped by officers.
“Dangerous driving of this nature can have devastating consequences, and it is only by good fortune that nobody was seriously injured as a result of his behaviour that day.
“We will continue to proactively target those who use our roads illegally and dangerously, and I hope this sentence sends a clear message that this type of offending will not be tolerated.”