Dangerous drug driver sentenced after failed bid to outrun determined officer in Harworth

Billy Joe Brooks almost lost control of the Volkswagen Passat he was driving and mounted a pavement to get around a car during his desperate bid to escape.

Roads policing officer PC Haddon Smith followed the suspected cloned vehicle after spotting it while on patrol in the Harworth area of Nottinghamshire.

After Brooks went down a dirt track he got out of the car and ran off across a field.

However, within minutes PC Smith had chased him down on foot and he placed the 18-year-old in handcuffs.

Brooks, of Spar Well Crescent, Rotherham, was subsequently charged and he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, drug driving, driving without insurance, driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, and possession of cannabis in connection with the incident which happened on the afternoon of September 29, 2023.

A roadside drugs wipe showed Brooks was positive for cannabis and he was also found to be in possession of a quantity of the Class B drug.

Analysis of blood samples showed he had 4.5 micrograms of cannabis in his system – the legal limit is two micrograms.

Brooks was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, when he appeared at Sheffield Crown Court for sentencing on Friday, May 24.

He was also banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.

PC Smith, of Nottinghamshire Police’s specialist roads policing unit, said: “Brooks’ driving was becoming increasingly dangerous as he took more and more risks to try and evade capture.

“His driving was extremely reckless and put the safety of other road users and innocent pedestrians at risk.

“Dangerous driving and drug driving will not be tolerated on our roads, and our roads policing unit continues to crack down on these sorts of offences all year round.

"We will continue to use every tactic at our disposal in order to protect all our road users from harm.

"Innocent lives have been taken and families left shattered because of the selfish actions of some drivers, and we will take swift and robust action against anyone who behaves in this manner.”