High speed police chases put dangerous driver in jail

Aron Anghel (35) faced four charges relating to the two high-speed pursuits, including dangerous driving, theft, driving without a licence or insurance.

Sheffield Crown Court heard how Anghel, of Romanian origin, had no licence or insurance.

Mr Ian West, prosecuting, told the court that Anghel had stolen a Range Rover worth £15,200 on December 11, 2020, from a restaurant car park in Manchester.

Police spotted the Range Rover exiting the M62 towards Rochdale and signalled for it to stop, but Anghel drove away.

A tyre stinger device was used by the police in a bid to force the vehicle to stop.

But Anghel, of Lovetot Road in Wingfield, continued driving, running red lights and “forcing” his way past slow moving vehicles.

He continued to drive at “speed” but had struggled to maintain control of the vehicle due to the damaged tyres, said Mr West.

Anghel eventually pulled over and absconded on foot before being caught by officers a short while later, Mr West said.

The court heard how Anghel had been involved in another police chase just four days later.

Police officers had been informed a gold Nissan Micra, worth £1,400, had been stolen on Hanover Street in Sheffield.

Officers saw Anghel driving the car in the Wortley Road area before he took the Stocksbridge bypass towards Manchester.

The pursuing police ordered him to stop but Anghel responded by performing a “dangerous” U-turn onto the opposing carriageway to escape.

The vehicle was only stopped when officers boxed the Micra, causing damage to two police vehicles.

Once the Micra had been stopped, the officers found that two children aged ten and 12 — Anghel’s son and nephew — were in the car.

Mr West added: “The defendant showed total disregard for the occupants of his vehicle he was driving, and for the other road users.”

Mr Chris Aspinall, mitigating, said: “Both vehicles were taken in order to facilitate travel between Sheffield and Manchester to see his mother.

“This does not excuse what he did but gives reasons why the offences happened.”

Mr Aspinall asked Judge Michael Slater to consider how Anghel’s “command of English” might impact on him in a custodial setting, as well as the impact on his wife and children due to his “stupid actions”.

He also asked the judge to consider Anghel’s seven-year gap in offending.

Anghel pleaded guilty to to two two counts of stealing a vehicle, two counts of dangerous driving and to driving without insurance and without a licence.

Judge Slater told him: “You have appeared in court since 2008. You have amassed a number of convictions for dishonesty.

“But I will accept that you have kept out of trouble between 2012 and 2019.

“The offences are so serious that a custodial sentence is unavoidable.

“If I took the view that you were a professional car thief, which I do not think you are, the sentence would have been much longer.”

Judge Slater sentenced Anghel to two years of custody and disqualified him from driving for 42 months.

Anghel, appearing via a custody video suite, told the judge he “regretted everything that happened”.