Twenty-four-year-old Arron Yarker of, Howarth Close, Roth, pleaded guilty to a series of motoring offences when he appeared at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Tuesday.
Mr. Haines was charged with driving whilst disqualified, and failing to stop the vehicle on being required to by a constable in uniform. He was also charged with speeding, doing 60 mph in a 30 mph zone; using a motor vehicle on a road without third party insurance; and using a motor vehicle without a valid test certificate.
Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that the incident occurred at around 11.40 pm on January 4, when a police officer on duty saw two vehicles that appeared to be driving together.
“One of the vehicles had a defective light and when a check was carried out on the car, it was discovered that it had no MOT.
“The police officer overtook the first car and followed Mr. Yarker’s VW Golf, and indicated that he wanted him to pull over, but he didn’t stop and drove off.”
The police officer continued to follow Mr. Yarker, who was travelling at 80 mph at one point, and then 70 mph in a 40 mph zone and 60 mph in a 30 mph zone.
“The defendant was followed to Penblewin roundabout and was heading towards Haverfordwest. A stinger was used and eventually the vehicle’s speed dropped down to 30 mph because of the burst tyres and it came to halt at Redstone Cross,” explained Mr. Pritchard-Jones.
When arrested, Mr. Yarker told police officers that he had just bought the car after seeing it advertised on Facebook, and when asked why he had failed to stop, he said that he got ‘scared and panicked’ because he was a disqualified driver.
“The aggravating factor is that it took a physical intervention by the police,” Mr. Pritchard-Jones.
Defence solicitor Mark Layton told the court that Mr. Yarker had made the ‘foolish decision’ to purchase the car.
“Even though he was speeding at times, the officer involved doesn’t describe the manner of Mr. Yarker’s driving as dangerous.
“He is currently subject to a community order and has been disqualified for driving previously,” added Mr. Layton.
Probation officer Julie Norman told the court that it was a very serious offence and a pre-planned action by Mr. Yarker to purchase the car.
“He drove a significant distance and failed to stop,” she said.
Magistrates revoked Mr. Yarker’s current community order and gave him a 16-week prison sentence.
Mr. Yarker was ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £520 for what the magistrates described as a ‘series of misdismeanours’ and had his licence endorsed with a total of 12 penalty points. He was also given a further disqualifi