Dangerous driver in jail thanks to skills of pursuing officers

A speeding driver continued to put his foot down on the accelerator despite being stuck in a hedge and boxed in by police.

Liam Bailey found himself beached on a mounted grass verge and surrounded by officers following a pursuit.  

Although he had nowhere to go, the wheels of Bailey’s car were still spinning and his engine revving as he was pulled from the vehicle.

The crash in Old Coach Road, Retford, came shortly after the 27-year-old had rammed a separate police car that had spotted his dodgy driving in Retford.

A response officer first noticed Bailey – whose car's rear lights weren’t working – after he pulled out of a petrol station erratically around 7.20pm on 20 January 2024.

When Bailey realised he was being followed, the driver turned around and drove straight at the police car, which he only narrowly avoided hitting head on.

He then mounted a grass verge in Bolham Lane, Retford, before ramming into the officer’s vehicle and speeding away.

Within around 15 minutes, Bailey was tracked down to nearby Babworth Road, where he continued to swerve all over the road and drive at high speed.

He then failed to stop for roads policing and armed response officers, before performing two dangerous U-turns on the A57 – pulling out in front of high-speed traffic.

After twice failing to shake off police, the driver came to an abrupt stop when his car crashed and became lodged in the hedge.

He would then go on to assault a police officer as he was being brought into custody.

Bailey later pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving, driving without a licence, driving without the correct insurance, and assaulting an emergency worker.

He also admitted to charges of driving without due care and attention during a separate incident on the A43 in Broughton, Northamptonshire, on 14 January 2024.

On top of this, Bailey was found guilty of three other offences in Northampton from 15 November 2022 – burglary, theft from a motor vehicle, and assaulting an emergency worker.

Bailey, of Bellway Close, Kettering, was sentenced for all his offending at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday (17 May).

He was jailed for a total of 22 months, while he was also disqualified from driving for 18 months.

PC Haddon Smith, of Nottinghamshire Police’s roads policing unit, said: “The way Bailey was driving that evening put everyone on the roads around him at risk – including our officers.

“After this was originally spotted by one of our officers, Bailey’s response was incredibly dangerous as he drove at their car at speed.

“While he narrowly missed, he then rammed the police car to get away, before performing a series of dangerous manoeuvres in the minutes that followed.

“Even when he lost control and crashed into a hedge, Bailey continued to put his foot down on the accelerator to try and get away.

"We will robustly deal with dangerous individuals like this who have no regard for the roads and other members of the public.

“Thankfully, nobody was seriously injured in this incident, although that was only down to the skills of our drivers who were following him.

“We’re pleased to see Bailey has now appeared in court and has been handed a custodial sentence for his actions.”