Tameside Pursuit

This is the moment a dangerous driver crashes into three cars in Ashton Under Lyne.

Leighton Browne (20/05/1993) of Craven Street in Oldham was sentenced to three years and six months at Minshull Street Crown Court today (Thursday 15 June 2017).

At an earlier hearing the 24-year-old pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving without a license and possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.

At around midday on Friday 9 December last year, Browne was spotted driving a silver Golf whilst having no insurance in Hurst Green.

The officer signalled for him to pull over but Browne ignored it and sped off at high speed into a residential area.

A pursuit took place and he eventually came to a stop when he crashed head on into a Mercedes which was being driven by an elderly man. He also hit two other cars.

The Mercedes was written off and the driver was injured but Browne fled the scene.

Following an extensive investigation by officers he was later arrested after DNA samples taken from the airbag identified him.

He was also further arrested on the 7 February 2017 after he was involved in another collision and officers found heroin and cocaine concealed in a tube of crisps inside the car he was driving.

PC Chris Kitson, from GMP’s Specialist Operations team, said: “In a bid to evade custody Browne was prepared to put the lives of other road users at risk only to get caught by police in the end.

“What he did was completely reckless and could have had devastating consequences for innocent people.

“Luckily the man who was injured as a result of the collision has since made a full recovery.

“Browne obviously thought he was above the law but his arrogance got the better of him when DNA evidence matched him to the car and he was caught again by police, this time with Class A drugs.

“He will now have three and a half years in prison to think about exactly what his arrogance has cost him."