Nathan Owen, who claimed his luxury Jaguar could not stop on a motorway, has been jailed for his actions. The incident prompted a large police response and considerable disruption.
Merseyside Police investigations into Owen's finances revealed a high level of personal debt and multiple missed payments on the vehicle's finance. Text messages recovered from his mobile phone also showed discussions about how to dispose of the vehicle, including having it written off, in the months preceding the reported incident.
His defense counsel described Owen's plan as "frighteningly stupid for a man ostensibly reasonably well educated and intelligent." Owen, who had no prior convictions and came from a stable family, was characterized by his father as a Walter Mitty figure who "lives in a fantasy world." The defense lawyer also stated that Owen "never anticipated" the negative publicity the fabricated story would cause for Jaguar Land Rover.
Sentencing Owen, Judge Ian Unsworth KC stated, "You set in train a course of conduct which caused a significant police traffic operation to be deployed, undoubted alarm to the public and very substantial loss and disruption to others." The judge noted that police officers placed themselves in danger, believing they were responding to a genuine emergency, while Owen "sought to profit from a lie."
In addition to his jail sentence, Owen was disqualified from driving for five years. He will also be required to pass an extended driving test before his license is reinstated.