A HIGH-SPEED car chase in residential Coventry streets with armed police back-up left an uninsured driver regretting his decision to borrow a friend’s car – because it had a police ‘firearms marker’ on it.
Unbeknown to Kaelan Pinnock, the ‘marker’ on his friend’s Vauxhall Astra – which means police believed it could have had firearms in it – had led watching suspicious police to mobilise the firearms unit before giving chase.
Pinnock sped off a speeds of up to 60mph in 30mph residential streets – fearing he would be caught driving without insurance or a licence.
He eventually turned into a dead end and abandoned the car, Warwick Crown Court heard.
Pinnock (22) of Eld Road, Foleshill, Coventry, was given a six-month prison sentence suspended for two years, disqualified for a year and fined £150 after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and having no insurance or licence.
Anthony Cartin, prosecuting, said it started around 11pm on February 26 officers on patrol in Bell Green.
At first Pinnock was driving at an appropriate speed as officers followed. But in Ellacombe Road, a 30mph residential area, he accelerated to 50, going onto the wrong side of the road on a blind bend.
As the officers put on their blue lights and siren to try to get him to stop, Pinnock took a sharp left into Broad Park Road, almost colliding with parked vehicles.
As the pursuit continued along a number of roads including Hermes Crescent, Wyken Croft, Shakespeare Street, Mercer Avenue and Wellington Street, his speeds hit 60mph, with him braking hard to make a series of turns.
In Payne’s Lane, he continued after colliding with an oncoming vehicle, but came unstuck in the dead-end Day’s Lane.
He and his passengers made off on foot, but he was caught and arrested.
Pinnock, who was found to have cocaine in his system, admitted being the driver of the Astra, which he had his friend’s permission to use, but denied his driving had been dangerous.
Mr Cartin added that Pinnock had 22 previous convictions for 30 offences, but none for driving matters.
William Douglas-Jones, defending, said: “Mr Pinnock recognises… his conduct was stupid and a foolish reaction to having no insurance and no licence when he saw the police.
“Three weeks prior to his arrest his youngest child was born, and he has not seen him since his arrest and remand in custody.
Sentencing Pinnock, Recorder Adrian Redgrave QC told him: “It is a serious offence, because what you were doing was driving far too fast at night in a built-up area, trying to get away from the police.”
