A drunk teenager who led police on a dangerous chase has avoided a prison sentence.
An officer attempted to stop Thomas Powell after he was observed speeding through a 30mph zone in Marlborough shortly before midnight on 1 September this year.
However, 18-year-old – driving a tiny Volkswagen Fox – ignored the blue lights on the A346 as he drove towards Burbage. He went on to slow dramatic and perform a U-turn.
Powell made off from the officer at high speed – travelling at double the speed limit, occasionally on the wrong side of the road. He also turned off his car’s lights in pitch-black lanes.
During the pursuit, he mounted a nearside verge which nearly caused his car to overturn. Due to the nature of his driving, the police backed off and the car was lost to sight.
The chase resumed with a different unit in the early hours of 2 September in the Alton Barnes area. Powell drove at high speed through crossroads and his car left the ground on a humpback bridge.
In Upavon, took a roundabout the wrong way and continued into Netheravon, navigating blind bends with no lights on, weaving across both lanes and travelling at well over speed limits.
Powell crashed crashed into a wall near Choulston Farm, between High Street and Everleigh Road – as did a police dog unit. The handler sustained head injuries required hospital treatment.
At Swindon Crown Court on 17 November, he was handed an 18-month community order.
The defendant, of Back Lane, Lockeridge, must complete 15 rehabilitation activity days and 150 hours of unpaid work. He was banned from driving for 18 months, and must pass an extended retest if he wishes to drive again in the future.
