Dangerous driver who rammed Land Rover into police cars on high speed chase across Northampton jailed

A dangerous driver who rammed his Land Rover again and again into pursuing police cars while tearing across Northampton in a high-speed chase has been jailed for 18 months.

When William Parker, of Cedar Road, realised he was being tailed by a police car in Kingsthorpe on September 4 this year, his instinct was to reverse his 4x4, aim it at the squad car and smash into it.

It was only the beginning of a catastrophic 15-minute high-speed chase across Northampton, in which the 46-year-old tore through red lights, sped through neighbourhoods and repeatedly used the Land Rover Discovery as a weapon to crash into police.

At his sentencing at Northampton Crown Court yesterday (November 3), the judge heard how Parker also clipped a member of the public as he swung around a corner, who was hit by a piece of metal dangling off of the ruined car.

But despite the shocking and at times life-threatening chase, Parker was only jailed yesterday for the maximum sentence available of 18 months - meaning he will likely be released on license in July.

Her Honour Judge Rebecca Crane said in sentencing: "This was a deliberate course of dangerous driving in which you showed no regard for the safety of others, and an intention to cause very serious damage."

The incident began when police spotted Parker in a gold Land Rover Discovery on Ruskin Road, Kingsthorpe, and suspected the licence plate had been cloned.

But when Parker - who was at the time disqualified from driving, and was in fact driving his friend's 4x4 to drop off his daughter at work - realised he was being pursued, he reportedly "panicked" - and decided he best choice was to ram into the squad car and make a getaway.

When that didn't work, he reversed and crashed into the officer again.

Over the next 15 minutes, nearly a dozen of police cars were called to pursue the Land Rover as it sped through red lights and tore over junctions.

When police cars cornered Parker in an Abington alleyway, he reversed and rammed into the officers 10 times in a bid to escape.

The chase climaxed in Abington's Cedar Road - outside Parker's home address.

Dramatic videos captured by residents in Abington shared with Chronicle & Echo showed how the Land Rover swung wildly around blind corners in the pursuit.

When the 46-year-old was halted by a police car, before officers used a glass hammer to smash his passenger window and restrain him.

In total, Parker's rampage had caused a total of £45,000 to four police cars that he crashed into.

The member of public who was clipped by the Land Rover was not seriously injured.

Parker - who has 21 convictions for 47 previous offences - pleaded guilty to seven driving offences. The court heard he had reportedly "panicked" at the idea of being caught behind the wheel of a car while disqualified and uninsured, was was "deeply remorseful" for the incident.

However, the highest sentence Judge Crane was able to pass was 18 months in prison and a five-year driving ban.

Parker was already disqualified at the time of the offence.

He was also ordered to pay £6,000 in compensation against the £45,000 worth of damage he racked up.

No one was seriously hurt in the incident.