Suspended sentence for man who led police on dangerous chase through Peterborough

Ben Longworth, 38, was driving in Peterborough at about 3.30pm on 21 January when his Vauxhall Moka triggered automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras.

Officers followed Longworth on sirens in Dogsthorpe Road but he refused to stop and drove through residential streets at double the 30mph limit, mounting kerbs and failing to give way at roundabouts.

He went the wrong way around a roundabout in Maskew Avenue and then straight through a no entry sign.

When Longworth turned left off Lincoln Road, through a no entry sign, and the onto the wrong side of a carriageway, officers made the decision to stop the pursuit due to the danger he posed to other motorists.

However, as officers drove along St Pauls Road, members of the public pointed towards Fulbridge Road where they found Longworth speeding and overtaking other vehicles. He went through red lights before driving the wrong way up a slip road and along the A47 Soke Parkway.

He eventually drove over a police stinger in Topmoor Way but he carried on with deflated tyres into Fulbridge Road where he was stopped. He tried to run off, throwing his keys into a nearby bush, but was caught and arrested.

A roadside drugs wipe tested positive for cocaine and Longworth was found to have no insurance.

In interview, he told officers he knew he should have stopped but had “panicked”.

Longworth, from Daleswood Rise, Kings Cliffe, admitted charges of dangerous driving and driving without a licence. He was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for two years, at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday (26 April). He was also disqualified from driving for two years and ordered to take a re-test.

PC Leigh Fenton said: “Longworth’s driving fell far below what is expected of a careful and competent driver and was blatantly dangerous.

“He showed utter disregard for the safety of other road users and stopped at nothing to evade police.

“We’ll continue to do all we can to keep our roads safe and I hope the sentence changes Longworth’s behaviour in future.”