Motorist led police in a 75mph chase through Birkdale

Motorist led police in a 75mph chase through Birkdale

An ex Everton youth player has appeared in court for dangerous driving where it was heard he outran a pursuing police car over two miles by driving at speeds in excess of 75 mph in a 30 mph zone.

Matthew Harris, 23, of Rufford Road, Southport, had already pulled over and was standing outside his vehicle with two other males when a mobile police patrol caught up with him. When he appeared at Sefton Magistrates Court, prosecutor Amanda Cullen said he ran off but later handed himself in.

Ms Cullen said that police first saw him driving his Audi A3 on Cemetery Road going toward Birkdale at 2am on May 10. Believing that he was speeding the officers tried to get him to pull over by activating their lights ‘but that just made him drive faster.’

“He was driving at high speed which exceeded the speed of the police vehicle which was travelling at 75mph,” she said. Saying that he drove through a red light, overtook a parked lorry on a blind corner, and was braking sharply as he made his way to Lynton Drive where he stopped, she said, “The pursuit lasted for about two minutes at high speed and was dangerous throughout.”

Harris told police he was taking two friends home when he saw the police vehicle and the blue lights and panicked because one of his rear wheels was buckled. He accepted that the speed limit was 30 mph.”

Harris was charged for driving and failing to stop when required to by a police officer, the magistrates sentenced him to nine weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, ordered that he undertake 200 hours of unpaid work, and pay £200 in costs and victim surcharge. They also banned him from driving for 12 months and said that he must take an extended driving test before he can reclaim his licence.