Leeds drug dealer jailed after 154mph 80 mile police chase on the motorway

Daniel Town, 31, of Carrholm Road, Chapel Allerton, has been jailed for 20 months at Preston Crown Court - on top of his current four year jail term for drug dealing - after he embarked on the deadly chase on the M55 at Blackpool and northbound M6.

Dashcam footage from a Lancashire police vehicle shows him flying past lorries and cars on the M55, with one forced onto a slip road at the M55 and M6 junction to avoid a collision.

Town admits dangerous driving as well as making malicious phone calls to a woman from prison in April 2019, while serving a 34 month term for wounding and affray.

He made repeated chilling threats to "blow her head off" and "throw acid in her face".

Prosecuting, Alison Mather said Lancashire Police were made aware Town was wanted for questioning on August 24 last year and may be making his way back to Yorkshire.

When Town spotted a police patrol vehicle on Preston New Road at around 4.52am he accelerated and the officer lost sight fo him.

She added: " He was spotted a short time later by a local patrol, heading towards junction 3 eastbound."

She said he travelled in excess of 130mph, and at one point made a "quick diversion" onto the northbound M6 at Preston at 154mph.

When he reached the border with Cumbria the chase was abandoned.

Town then dumped the car near Penrith station and ordered a taxi.

Police identified and contacted the cab driver and instructed him to leave the motorway.

But Town overheard the conversation and said: "It's not the police is it? I'm not a murderer."

When the taxi pulled over he fled but was arrested a short time later."

Defending, David McGonigal accepted the speed of the vehicle was "dangerously fast".

But he urged the court to draw distinction with other cases, adding: " In cases of this nature of dangerous driving the court is often faced with circumstances where there is a passenger in the car or subsequent injury to people or property, or crashing the car.

"More particularly the court often deals with cases where there is a chase within a town or a city, where red lights are ignored, junctions are ignored, overtaking of oncoming traffic causing other vehicles to swerve to avoid a collision and indeed in such circumstances there are pedestrians on the pavement put in specific danger."

Judge Philip Parry, sentencing, described Town as a violent bully.

He said: "Your record is appalling.

"I've just watched some of the dashcam footage.

"On one stretch the officer couldn't keep up with you even though he was travelling at 154mph.

"It is frankly a miracle that there wasn't a high speed multi car collision as a result of your dangerous pursuit.

"True it is there were no passengers in the car, and mercifully no injury to anybody or damage to street furniture or vehicles.

"But nothing, frankly, detracts from the breathtaking danger you put other road users in during your high speed pursuit."

"You did all of that set against your terrible antecedent record."