A woman driving a Nissan Micra aided a police officer in apprehending a suspect by providing him with a lift during a pursuit. The officer had been chasing Jacob Roberts, 25, on foot after he attempted to evade law enforcement in a white van.
Roberts had reverse-rammed a police vehicle twice and crashed into parked cars and a building while trying to escape officers who had detected the smell of cannabis. During the chase, Roberts drove erratically, disregarded multiple junctions, mounted pavements, and endangered pedestrians.
The pursuit led Roberts to a dead-end street in Abercwmboi, Rhondda Cynon Taf, where he abandoned his van and continued his escape on foot. A police bodycam captured the moment the pursuing officer approached a red Nissan Micra, driven by an unidentified woman, and asked for a lift.
The woman responded by telling the officer to "get in" and asked for directions as she began to give chase. The officer spotted Roberts and quickly exited the Micra, deploying a taser to make the arrest.
During a subsequent search, officers found two cannabis cigarettes on Roberts. He was sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on September 16 to one year and two months in prison for a series of driving offenses. He was also disqualified from driving for three years.
Roberts pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, failing to stop after a road accident, criminal damage to property, and possession of a Class B drug. PC Kerswell noted that Roberts was already banned from driving when he committed these offenses, demonstrating a disregard for other road users. The officer expressed hope that the sentence would serve as a deterrent and prevent future dangerous driving incidents, emphasizing that it was fortunate no one was seriously injured during the pursuit.