Worksop dangerous driver who sparked police chase in Doncaster caught with beer in hand

A dangerous driver who shot through red lights and forced oncoming cars to swerve out of the way was drinking a can of beer as police chased him, Sheffield Crown Court has heard.
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Dale Stanley attracted the attention of police when he nearly lost control of his blue Ford Fiesta at a roundabout on Cleveland Street, Doncaster, at 5.40am, on August 27, said prosecutor Richard Davies.

He ignored the police car's lights and siren, and drove on to College Road, where he collided with street furniture while driving past the police station and magistrates' court.

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He drove through red traffic lights on Chequer Road, reaching speeds of 50mph in a built-up area, and crossed lanes to drive at oncoming traffic, on Stockhill Road.

Sheffield Crown Court.Sheffield Crown Court.
Sheffield Crown Court.

"Vehicles had to drive on to the central reservation to avoid him." Mr Davies said.

When he finally stopped, Stanley had an open can of beer in his hand and refused to provide a sample.

He told officers he didn't realise he had been asked to stop, before being shown camera footage of the pursuit, which had to be called off because of safety fears.

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The court heard he has eight previous convictions for 23 offences, including thefts and driving offences, and his last conviction for non-dwelling burglaries saw him jailed for 42 weeks.

Chris Aspinall, mitigating, said: "Thankfully nobody was injured and he has not collided with any other vehicles. He fully accepts his horrendous record of previous offending."

He said there was a near five-year gap when Stanley was working as a roofer and living with his partner and children.

But he lost that job in 2019 and moved back in with his mother, which led to a "sharp spiral back to his previous offending."

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Mr Aspinall said Stanley has been promised more work and was hopeful of rekindling his relationship.

"He is at the point of diverting away from further offending," he said.

Stanley, 27, of Osberton View, Worksop, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop and driving with no insurance.

Judge Sarah Wright sentenced him to six months in prison, suspended for one year, and banned him from driving for two years. He was ordered to complete ten rehabilitation days and a thinking skills programme and abide by a three-month curfew, from 7pm to 6am.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

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