A driver used his vehicle 'as a weapon' as he rammed into police vehicles during an M1 police chase spanning 63 miles and four counties. Officers in Leicestershire first picked up the trail of a stolen Mercedes Sprinter van believed to be using false plates on Thursday, December 2, 2021.
The van, carrying £40,000 of stolen kitchen equipment taken from a lorry in Milton Keynes, was driven by in-debt drug user Robert Wingate on his way back to Leeds with the stolen loot. His passenger was Deimantas Palaima - Palaima filming the dangerous pursuit on his mobile phone with voices heard in the background saying, "get gone", "go on mush" and "get rammed".
Both men were jailed at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday (February 13) for their roles in the terrifying traffic violation, spanning the M1 from Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire to South Yorkshire. Leicestershire officers pulled out from Junction 23 - for Loughborough and Ashby - activating the lights on their car and displaying an illuminated rear window sign for Wingate to "follow me".
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But Wingate accelerated off, reaching speeds of 95mph. More officers joined at Junction 24, the Kegworth turn-off - but the van, with a value of £16,000, continued on between 70mph and 98mph. Two officers in a BMW were rammed off the road and injured - with one saying at the time of the impact he "thought he was going to die," said Steven Taylor, prosecuting.
The officer in the BMW collided with a barrier and the vehicle bounced back onto the carriageway - with one of the wheels coming off and striking a police Skoda. As police failed to box in the van, they resorted twice to using a stinger device - the second attempt being successful and stopping the van dead in its tracks.
Wingate, 24, of no fixed address, was jailed for a total of three years and nine months, which will start at the end of a sentence he is currently serving. He pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, aggravated-vehicle taking, assault, causing bodily harm on the officers by using the van as a weapon, and causing criminal damage on four occasions to police cars. His driving ban was for three years and three months.
Palaima was sent to youth custody for 25 months, of which he serves half, after he pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, two assault, causing bodily harm to police, aggravated vehicle-taking and one charge of causing criminal damage. His driving ban was for 25 months.
Recorder Jason MacAdam told the men in the dock he was satisfied they had been fully signed up for what they knew was a criminal enterprise and that they were carrying an extremely valuable load.
The court heard roofer Wingate had agreed to drive the vehicle back to Leeds after receiving threats over his drugs debt. He was provided with the van's keys.
The van was loaded up in Miton Keynes with the stolen kitchen equipment, including pans, taken from a consignment in a lorry parked at Milton Keynes Service Station when the lorry driver was on a break.
The judge said Wingate drove aggressively, dangerously, and quite deliberately rammed police vehicles at high speed. "You were using your vehicle as a weapon".
Palaima, 19, of Throstle Row, Middleton, Leeds, encouraged Wingate and he responded. The court heard he was to be paid money for his role.
"What the two of you did, leaving aside handling stolen goods, criminal damage and assault, you both presented an enormous risk to the general public and the police," said the judge.
"By my calculation the financial cost of your behaviour that night is easily over £100,000". A helicopter was deployed, a new police BMW had £70,000 damage, two more police cars were damaged, and the van heavily damaged.
"Police officers, unlike the rest of us, can't just pull away from this and say, 'I'm not going near that van', they have a duty", added the Recorder. "You, Palaima, filmed what was happening. You should be ashamed of yourself; gesticulating to officers, making it clear what you were prepared to do.
"The BMW was forced off the road and the car written off".
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