West Yorkshire driver with terrible driving record given 'last chance' after police chase
A banned driver who fled police and then made off without paying from three fuel stations has avoided custody, despite having a lengthy record for motoring offences.
Marek Kasprowicz was on false registration plates and officers made tactical contact with his car to prevent him heading down the wrong way of a motorway.
The court heard there was smoke coming from his tyres as he tried to get away.
The chase took place on July 2024, with the theft of fuel relating to October of last year. He gave false details when stopped by police after the fuel thefts.
At the time he is not permitted to apply for his driving licence again until 2030, having been slapped with a 50-month ban.
The 29-year-old recently appeared at Leeds Crown Court over a video link from HMP Leeds.
He admitted three counts of making off without payment, one of obstructing a police officer, two counts of driving while banned, one of having no insurance and one of dangerous driving.
The court heard he had 12 convictions for 36 offences, including drink driving, having no insurance and nine for driving while banned.
He was previously warned by a judge in 2019 that if he did not stop driving, he would eventually kill someone.
Mitigating, Gabrielle Coates conceded he had a terrible driving record but said he “had the potential for rehabilitation”.
She said he had only been given custodial sentences or unpaid work in the past, and had never been offered rehabilitative work.
She said Kasprowicz, of no fixed address, had worked in a car wash where the temptation to drive cars proved too much. He also has a wife and daughter.
Judge Tahir Khan KC told him he had a “bad record for driving offences”, but was persuaded to give him an 18-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
He gave him 250 hours of unpaid work and 30 rehabilitation days. He was also given a new three-year driving ban.
He told him: “This really is your last chance. Take advantage of this opportunity I have given you.”