East London man George Brown, 25, jailed for 18 months after A14 police chase

A 25-year-old man whose suspicious behaviour sparked a police chase along the A14 in January has been jailed.

George Brown, of Aveley Road, Upminster in East London, appeared at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday (Monday), after pleading guilty to five offences at a previous hearing in August.

For the five offences he admitted - which were dangerous driving, drug driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance and possession of cocaine - Brown was sentenced to 18 months in jail.

He was also disqualified from driving for four years with an extension period of nine months. He will be required to take an extended re-test after this time.

This comes after Brown, who was driving a Ford Focus, sped away from an approaching police officer on the A14 near Rougham in the early hours of January 4.

A police chase then ensued, with Brown driving at up to 100mph, switching between the inside and outside lanes and continuously applying the brakes.

He then exited the A14 at the junction with the A1120 at Stowupland and tried to get on to the eastbound carriageway despite travelling in the wrong direction.

A Roads and Armed Policing Team vehicle then made contact with the car to bring it to a safe stop, at which point Brown got out of the car and ran off.

He was caught and arrested at 1.20am.

Inspector Gary Miller, of the RAPT, said: "This was another example of something our officers are dealing with too frequently - someone under the influence of drugs getting behind the wheel of a car, driving at speed and in a manner that showed complete disregard for the safety of other road users.

"I would like to praise the officers involved for their commitment in ensuring the vehicle being driven by George Brown was safely brought to a stop and then securing his arrest. High-speed pursuits necessitate officers to put all of their training into action, requiring the utmost skill and complete concentration."