Suspended sentence for Sheffield man who embarked on dangerous police chase after having 'a lot to drink'

A Sheffield man, who embarked on a 'dangerous' police chase that saw him travel at almost double the speed limit in residential areas, has walked free from court.
A Sheffield man, who embarked on a 'dangerous' police chase that saw him travel at almost double the speed limit in residential areas, has walked free from courtA Sheffield man, who embarked on a 'dangerous' police chase that saw him travel at almost double the speed limit in residential areas, has walked free from court
A Sheffield man, who embarked on a 'dangerous' police chase that saw him travel at almost double the speed limit in residential areas, has walked free from court

Aiden Gibbons was jailed for eight months, suspended for two years, during a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on Monday, after he admitted to a string of offences including dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and failure to provide a specimen.

Neil Coxon, prosecuting, told the court how police spotted Gibbons travelling at speed along School Road in High Green in a Citroen Picasso at around 1.40am on December 17 last year.

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Officers stopped Gibbons, of Hazlehurst Road, Manor and began to take details from him, but when they asked him to take them to his vehicle he swore at them and drove off at speed instead, the court heard.

"The defendant drove off on Worrall Road. The police pursued the vehicle on Greengate Lane which has a 30mph limit. His speed was recorded as 55mph," said Mr Coxon.

Mr Coxon told the court that Gibbons turned his lights off on several occasions, failed to give way on a roundabout, causing another motorist to take evasive action and continued to speed in residential areas in a bid to evade police.

The police chase only came to an end when Gibbons crashed into a traffic island on Cowley Lane in Chapeltown, which caused him to plough into a van that was travelling in the opposite direction.

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Mr Coxon said: "The police went to approach the defendant, and he was seen running from the vehicle. There was a short chase, and this defendant was quickly stopped by the police."

After being arrested Gibbons admitted to 'drinking a lot' in the hours prior to the police chase, but refused to provide a specimen of breath, the court heard.

Francis Edusei, defending, said in mitigation: "Mr Gibbons said to me this morning that he is very sorry for the trouble he has caused the public and the courts."

He added: "The relationship with his daughter's mother had ended, which caused him a lot of distress and stress. He was sofa surfing, as he terms it, and wasn't in his right mind."

Gibbons was also ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work, a 30-day rehabilitation activity requirement and was disqualified from driving for three years.