A career criminal who torched his £30,000 getaway car after a police chase was only caught after police recognised his 'distinctive hairline' on CCTV.
Malcolm Jones, 61, from Wigan, set fire to the VW T-Roc 4x4 vehicle in the hope of escaping detection after shaking off a patrol by driving at speed past a funeral procession.
But officers who played back footage of the arson instantly realised the culprit was Jones due to his haircut, Bolton Crown Court heard.
Jones, who was on licence from prison after being freed early from a four year stretch for firearms offences at the time, sparked the pursuit at around 12pm on April 7 last year.
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He had been stopped by police after they suspected his vehicle was being used to supply drugs in the Wigan area.
Jones was then seen dropping off a known addict outside her home before driving away before engaging in a high speed chase with police.
During the pursuit, Jones, who gave his home address as Risley prison, crashed into a parked Mercedes and also sped past a funeral procession.
Miss Jennifer Devans-Tamakloe, prosecuting said: ''The officers had previously stopped the vehicle and the driver was the defendant and they did this as they believed it was being used to supply drugs in the area.
''They followed the VW and pulled up behind it but the vehicle drove away leaving the woman at the roadside.
“Police activated the sirens but the defendant accelerated past the access to a shopping precinct, mounted a kerb and squeezed past another vehicle.
''The car was being driven at speed of up to 50mph and eventually he lost control on a bend and ploughed into a parked Mercedes causing damage to the wheel arch of the VW.
''He drove on and contravened a red light but at that time a funeral cortege was present with 80 mourners and a horse drawn carriage.
“Some of the mourners scattered as the defendant sped around the bend and as a result officers called off the pursuit.”
The court heard how police were informed a short while later that a VW vehicle matching the description of Jones’ car had been reported on fire nearby.
Miss Devans-Tamakloe added: ''Five minutes later, the officers received information the VW was on fire in a nearby street.
“Officers located CCTV from a nearby business premises and identified the defendant setting the vehicle on fire and walking away.
"They could see him because he was recognisable by his hairline which can be seen clearly in the images.''
Jones later attended a police station and his home was searched and seized clothing he was wearing at the time, including a blue jumper and a dark coat with hood.
Inquiries revealed he had been loaned the VW by a friend. The £30,000 car was gutted in the incident and insurers are not expected to pay out as it was insured in Jones' name.
Jones had 27 offences on his record including robbery and supplying heroin and cocaine.
In 2018, he was jailed for four years and seven months for storing a shotgun in his home which was later used in a farmhouse robbery.
His lawyer Miss Suzanne Payne said in mitigation: ''This was an offence committed on impulse after he was chased by police.
“He has since reflected on it and says he doesn't know why he set fire to that vehicle. He did not intend to cause serious damage.
''He was released on licence from his previous offence but it was just prior to the country going into lockdown.
“He had just come out of an enclosed environment and was only free for a short time when he again found himself in an enclosed space due to the lockdown.
''He has struggled with his mental health during that period and at the time of this offence he was at an all time low.
“When he saw the police he panicked but cannot offer any further explanation for what he did. No one was hurt but he accepts what he did was dangerous and unforgivable.''
Jones admitted arson and dangerous driving and was jailed for two years.
He was also banned from driving for a year which will start when he is released from prison.
Sentencing Judge Tom Gilbart told him: ''Driving in the way you did was selfish and you posed a risk to others in an attempt to evade detection.
“The car was burnt out by the fire and setting it was a nakedly dangerous and stupid thing to do.''
