A driver in a burning stolen pickup truck continued to flee from police even after a stinger device had shredded the front tyres and left the vehicle running on the wheel rims. It eventually took a Taser stun gun and six officers to subdue Miles Blewett at the end of a high-speed pursuit which had seem him reaching speeds touching 100mph. His barrister said the entire episode "smacks of incredible stupidity" and said the father-of-three realised it was more by luck than judgement that he had not caused a crash.
Georgia Donohue, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that on January 12 this year police officers in Carmarthenshire signalled for a Ford Ranger to pull over but instead the pickup, with Blewett at the wheel, sped off. A pursuit then developed with the stolen Ford reaching speeds of 100mph as it raced along the B4306 towards Cwmffrwd and Carmarthen. The court heard police deployed a stinger device on the A484 on the outskirts of Carmarthen which successfully punctured tyres of the fleeing Ford but Blewett continued to drive on regardless. The prosecutor said as the Ranger drove along the A484 the front tyres began to shred until the remains of the front offside tyre flew off entirely and landed in a roadside hedge. Even then Blewett continued to drive in a "reckless manner" with sparks flying from the bare rims of the wheels.
Eventually the Ranger, which by now had a small fire burning in the passenger footwell, came to a stop and Blewett got out and ran off down the middle of the road chased by officers. The court heard it eventually took six police officers and a Taser stun gun to restrain the defendant on the ground. Blewett was taken to Haverfordwest police station and during the journey failed a drug swipe test though no charges resulted from this failure. The 32-year-old subsequently answered "no comment" to all questions asked during his interview.
