HGV driver sentenced following cross-county pursuit

A man from Wrexham has been sentenced after leading police on a near 25-mile chase from Cuddington to Whitchurch in a flatbed truck.

Ieuan Griffiths, 21, appeared at Chester Magistrates' on Tuesday 22nd September, where he was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

He was also banned from driving for two years, must complete an extended test before he is able to drive again, must complete 200 hours of unpaid work and is required to pay over £270 worth of fees.

The sentencing comes after Griffiths, of Bedwell Road in Wrexham, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, driving without insurance and failing to stop for police.

The case began on shortly before 11am on Monday 10th August in Cuddington, when a Cheshire Police Roads and Crime Officer stopped a flatbed lorry in the Norley Road area. However, as the officer left their vehicle to speak to the driver, the HGV drove away at speed.

A pursuit was subsequently authorised, with the officer keeping the flatbed in sight as it repeatedly drove through red lights, crossed road markings and drove at excess speed for approximately 50 minutes as it travelled out of Cheshire and into the West Mercia area.

Following a coordinated response, officers stopped the vehicle on a narrow country lane in Whitchurch, with the driver then decamping from the vehicle and fleeing on foot.

Officers quickly caught up to the fleeing driver, a man, and found him hiding behind a shed in a nearby caravan park.

Subsequent checks revealed him to be Griffiths and showed that he did not possess a driving licence nor any insurance to drive the flatbed lorry. Griffiths was then arrested and taken into custody.

When interviewed by officers, Griffiths said that he had no idea why he led officers on the near hour-long chase and that he did not know why he failed to stop when requested to do so, despite being fully aware that a number of police cars were behind him.

He also admitted that he had no consideration for any other road-users during the pursuit, that his driving licence had been revoked and that he had no insurance at the time of the offence.

Police Constable Michael Clark, of the Roads and Crime Unit, said:

"It is a miracle that Griffiths' blatant disregard for safety whilst driving did not result in himself, the pursuing officers or any other road users or pedestrians sustaining any serious injuries during this pursuit through Cheshire and out into West Mercia.

"His choice to not only fail to stop for police, but to also take considerable safety risks in an attempt to flee from officers, has now resulted in him being banned from the roads for two years and needing to take an extended test to ensure he is fully fit to get back behind the wheel again.

“This case shows that regardless of the size of the vehicle you drive, we will not discriminate and will always seek to take action against anyone flouting the rules of the road and putting others at risk of harm."

Pictured - Ieuan Griffiths of Bedwell Road in Wrexham.

You can watch Cheshire Police's video of the pursuit and their interview with Griffiths here...