Drink-driver fled police at double the speed limit on shredded tyre after leaving Wakefield village pub

Warren Mannifield raised suspicion when he stopped his vehicle suddenly and pulled over when a police car approached at around 11.25pm on January 25.

He had just left the Upton Arms in Upton and was travelling along Barnsley Road in South Kirkby. After quickly stopping, he then took off again in the silver Volvo XC60, so the police swung round and began following him.

Dash-cam footage from the police car was played to Leeds Crown Court that showed Mannifield then putting his foot down as the officers activated their blue lights.

The chase lasted around eight minutes and covered around five miles, as he reached speeds of 71mph in a 30mph zone, despite a puncture in his front-right tyre. Smoke could then be seen pouring from the badly-damaged wheel.

Mannifield eventually turned off onto a dirt track on Harewood Lane in Upton where he abandoned the vehicle. He was spotted by the police helicopter as he entered a housing estate and jumped fences and ran through back gardens.

After being apprehended he denied being the driver, but the car keys were found in his pocket. They also found a small amount of cannabis. He was given road-side tests and was found to be over the limit for cannabis and blew more than twice the drink-drive limit.

The 33-year-old gave a no-comment interview at the police station. He later admitted dangerous driving, being over the prescribed limit and possession of cannabis.

He has a previous conviction for violence and was also banned from driving in 2021.

Mitigating, Rukhshanda Hussain said: “It’s a bad eight minutes of driving but these courts have seen worse. The roads were quiet and through simple good fortune, no road users or vehicles were damaged.

"He knew he was in drink and scared.”

She said Mannifield, a construction worker of Harewood Road, Upton, had been drinking at the pub and said his friend asked him to fill his car up for him, so took the keys.

The judge, Recorder Mark McKone KC jailed him for 14 months, suspended for two years, a 17-month driving ban and a six-month curfew order.