Dad high on cocaine led police on 110mph chase because he had ‘wanted man’ in car
A dad led the police on a 110mph car chase then blamed his passengers.
Robert Porter engaged in what one officer described as “one of the most dangerous pursuits he has ever been involved in” over the course of nearly 15 minutes, having been spotted behind the wheel on the M62 while apparently under the influence of drugs late at night. The banned motorist claims that he did so as one of his friends within the vehicle was a wanted man.
Liverpool Crown Court[1] heard on Tuesday that an unmarked police car attempted to pull the 33-year-old’s Vauxhall Mokka over on the M62 shortly before 10.30pm on January 14 this year as he was suspected of being under the influence. But Porter failed to stop and left the motorway at junction seven before continuing onwards towards Widnes[2] while carrying two passengers.
Iain Criddle, prosecuting, described how he then led officers on a pursuit over the following 13 minutes – during which time he drove at up to 110mph in a 60mph zone, as well as at 65mph in a residential area where the limit was 20mph. He added: “Thankfully, probably because of the time of night, the roads were not busy as they might have been, which is perhaps more good luck than anything else.”
At one stage, Porter stopped his vehicle before reversing into a police car and causing around £4,000 of damage. He also ran red traffic lights, drove the wrong way around roundabouts and on the incorrect side of the road as well as overtaking a van and “nearly pushing it off the road”.
Towards the end of the chase, an oncoming car was forced to mount the kerb in order to avoid a collision with the father-of-two. Porter, of Bancroft Road in Widnes, then stopped his vehicle and ran into an alleyway, but was caught with the assistance of a police dog.
He “admitted he had been taking drugs” but refused to give a sample for analysis and initially denied being the driver, although the car keys were found in his possession. Mr Criddle said that one “experienced police officer” described the incident as “one of the most dangerous pursuits he has ever been involved in”.
Porter has a total of seven previous convictions for 17 offences, including for drink driving in 2009. He was then disqualified for dangerous driving in 2016 and ordered to pass an extended retest before being allowed back on the roads, although he never did so.
This led to him being convicted of driving while disqualified in 2021. Joanne Maxwell, defending, told the court: “The defendant concedes the awful manner in which he drove on this particular occasion.
“The manner in which he drove and the length for which he was behind the wheel on this occasion in January was one where the posed dangers were inherent with that kind of driving. There were no pedestrians about, and the dangers posed were perhaps not as bad as they would have been.
“My instructions are that the others in the car were known acquaintances to him, and one instructed him not to stop because he was wanted by the police. Poor judgement led to his decision not to stop.
“He has been addicted to cocaine for the past five or six years. He is a man who has displayed factors indicating that he is now only too aware of the consequences of that addiction and the fact that he has got to turn his life around.
“Medical records show that he had attended his GP, not only to address his mental health but also to meet head on his addiction to cocaine. He is desperate to receive further assistance.
“Life is now, and has been for the last six months, on the up for Mr Porter. His family connections have tightened around him.
“He is a man who has been providing great assistance to his family. He is a registered carer for his father and provides personal care to him on a daily basis.
“He is keen to be able to provide a stable upbringing for his daughters. He is described as a wonderful father.
“There are significant gaps in his record which prove that he can stay out of trouble. He has come to the court prepared for an immediate custodial sentence, but asks the court to provide him with a last opportunity.”
Porter admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving without a licence and driving without insurance. He was jailed for 16 months and banned for driving for two years and eight months.
Sentencing, Recorder David Knifton KC said: “Given the time of the evening, mercifully there were no pedestrians around. But there were a number of other vehicles and numerous parked cars.
“This pursuit was described by an experienced traffic officer as one of the most dangerous pursuits he has ever been involved in. Having watched the extensive dashcam footage, I entirely agree with his analysis.
“You have a number of previous convictions, largely for driving matters. I note that you were involved in a very serious accident aged 18, but this cannot explain or justify your actions.
“I regret to say that there is very little to suggest that you have shown the necessary willingness and commitment to comply with a non-custodial sentence. I hope you will in due course demonstrate to your family a genuine commitment to changing your lifestyle, but in my judgement that must be after your release.
“You made a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road and showed a complete disregard for other road users. This was a prolonged, persistent course of dangerous driving involving a number of highly dangerous manoeuvres.
“Your driving was impaired by the consumption of drugs and you were seeking to evade the police throughout. Although there was mercifully no injury to others, there was damage to a police vehicle.”
Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here[5]
References
- ^ Liverpool Crown Court (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Widnes (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Man who slashed ex’s face says ‘the last thing I wanted to do was resort to violence’ (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Man’s trip to the chippy led to him being jailed for nearly 30 years (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)
- ^ Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here (www.liverpoolecho.co.uk)