Driver injured four people after smashing into parked cars during Wakefield police chase

Andrew Baker was behind the wheel of the powerful car when patrolling officers noticed a smell of cannabis coming from the car at around 10.20am on May 28, 2022. He had two passengers in the car when he began trying to accelerate away from the police who illuminated their lights, Leeds Crown Court heard this week.

Dashcam footage was played showing the pursuit from Batley, then along Owl Lane and into Ossett, before Baker tried to take a hard right into Church Street. He failed to take the bend and smashed into a black Ford Fiesta in which a woman was climbing out of. She was struck by the car, with prosecutor Vincent Blake-Barnard said was “inches from a potential fatality”.

The Jaguar then smashed into a second car, a Peugeot 308 in which a man and his wife were sat. The forced caused the man to hit his face on the steering wheel, breaking his nose, while his wife in the passenger seat also suffered minor injuries. Both the parked cars were written off.

A female passenger in the back of the Jaguar was found bleeding from a head injury. Baker got out and ran but was momentarily stopped by a passing off-duty police officer. She grabbed him by his shirt and ripped a piece off before he successfully wriggled free. He was later arrested after a DNA match from the fabric of the chunk of torn shirt fabric.

During his police interview, Baker initially said he could not remember the incident, but then went on to take full responsibility. Baker, of Whinney Moor Avenue, Wakefield, admitted dangerous driving. No charge was brought against Baker over the £40 worth of cannabis found in the Jaguar. He has eight previous convictions for 11 offences.

He was not represented in court, and when asked if he wanted a barrister, he told the judge: “I don’t want one, I’m guilty.”

When asked if he wanted to offer any mitigation, he declined. Judge Mushtaq Khokhar jailed him for 14 months and said: “You can’t make any excuse for what you did.”

He also banned him from driving for 31 months.