An Audi driver has been jailed after leading cops on two high-speed chases through the streets of Bolton.
Craig Sloane drove at 90mph on a 30mph road during the first pursuit and went through four red lights on the second - which took place around 13 months later, while he was still on bail for the original offence. A judge at Bolton Crown Court slammed the 32-year-old’s driving as ‘arrogant’ and ‘selfish’ as he sentenced him to 22 months imprisonment today (Tuesday November 15).
Prosecution barrister Keith Jones told the court that Sloane had been driving a black Audi A3, down Deane Church Lane, on the morning of July 1 2021, when he was spotted by police officers. After they started to follow him, he sped off down the 30mph road at 70mph, before turning onto St Helens Road.
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There, he accelerated to 90mph - three times the speed limit - and was seen weaving in and out of traffic, as well as driving on the wrong side of the road. As Sloane turned into Pilkington Street, he almost smashed into an articulated lorry, Mr Jones said.
He eventually lost control of the car on Shaw Street, mounting the pavement and narrowly avoiding colliding with a parked car. He carried on driving and only stopped when he crashed into a tree.
Sloane tried to flee from police by running through shops and climbing over a metal fence but they caught him when his ankle got caught. He was arrested and told officers he was ‘sorry’, before making full admissions during his interview.
The court heard that at the time of the offence, Sloane was disqualified from driving and had not completed an extended retest that was ordered following a previous offence in 2014. Despite this, he got behind the wheel of a car again on the afternoon of August 3 2022.
On this occasion, cops spotted Sloane driving a white Audi A3 as he came around a corner. He braked suddenly, at which point an officer told him to turn his engine off.
Instead, Sloane reversed and sped off down Russell Street, Park Street and then Chorley New Road. He reached speeds of 80 mph and drove through four red traffic light, Mr Jones told the court.
Once he came to a fifth red traffic light, he mounted the pavement, before ignoring a no entry sign and driving onto Waterloo Street. Again, he tried to run away but was arrested shortly after.
Sloane, of Tonge Moor Road, Bolton, pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving while disqualified, and breach of a suspended sentence. Defending, Mark Friend admitted that with 15 convictions for 29 offences, Sloane has a “very poor set of antecedents”.
He added: “At last at the age of 32 he talks emotively of his desire to ensure that this is the last time he appears before the court. He recognises that frankly he is a little old to be acting like a teenager.”
Judge Tom Gilbart jailed Sloane for 22 months and banned him from driving for four years. He said: “You have, by any measure, a very poor record for driving offences.
He added: “This was an absolutely disgraceful way to behave and shows an arrogant disregard for the welfare of other road users. It was an arrogant and selfish piece of driving.”
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