Joiner, 26, who barrelled down the M6 at 98mph following a row with his boss and then tried to evade police is spared jail by judge who says prison is ‘not an ideal place’ for him
- Cameron Poole, 26, was clocked travelling at 98mph on the M6 earlier this year
- The joiner from Northwich turned off car lights in a bid to evade police chase
- He said he had been ‘agitated’ after row with boss and went into ‘panic mode’
A man who was caught driving down a motorway at nearly 100mph after a row with his boss has been spared jail by a judge who said prison is ‘not an ideal place’ for him.
Cameron Poole was at the wheel of his father’s car on the M6 on the evening of January 21 when he was arrested after being clocked travelling at 98mph.
The 26-year-old, from Northwich, Cheshire, switched the lights of the Ford C-Max off and accelerated away in a bid to shake off officers, and was spotted undertaking other vehicles at around 9:10pm.
When questioned, the joiner said he had been ‘agitated and frustrated’ after a row with his employer and went into ‘full panic mode’ when he saw the police following him.
Sarah McInerny, prosecuting, told Warrington magistrates court: ‘The incident takes place on the M6 northbound in Cheshire at approximately 9.10pm on the 21 January.
‘PC Parr and PC Iddon were patrolling the North West motorway network. After junction 20 they witnessed a vehicle driven by the defendant travelling in excess of the 70mph speed limit in place.
‘Officers activated the on-board camera. He then reached 98mph at which point the officers activated the emergency equipment.
Cameron Poole was at the wheel of his father’s car on the M6 on the evening of January 21 when he was arrested after being clocked travelling at 98mph
‘The defendant increased his speed considerably and moving towards lane one undertook several vehicles. He continued onto a section of roadworks where the speed limit was 50 mph. He continued to speed at 98 mph.’
Miss McInerny told the court he then reduced his speed and turned his lights off, while continuing to overtake other road users.
He then reduced his speed further until he was behind the police patrol. Officers led him off the motorway and onto a slip road, but he made off once again.
He then reduced his speed considerably until was behind the police patrol. Officers led him off the motorway and onto a slip road – but he made off again.
‘He cut across the solid white line and continued on to the M6 Northwood,’ Miss McInerny said. ‘The police were not able to continue the pursuit. He deliberately ignored the rules of the road, disregarded the safety of other road users and the incident was prolonged, persistent and deliberate.
‘It was obviously highly dangerous manoeuvres and involved evading police.’
Poole, who was traced by police later, had previous convictions for drug driving and careless driving following a separate police chase in 2016.
A probation report stated that he had ADHD, had been ‘bullied’ at work and was dealing with ‘stress’ from an ex-partner who was ‘trying to get some money from him’.
On the night of the offence in January, he was on the way to Skelmersdale to visit his current partner.
A probation officer said: ‘He’d had a bad time at work and his boss was giving him some grief at the end of the day. It was all about the working hours when he was already working long hours and the pressure was on.
The 26-year-old, from Northwich, Cheshire, switched the lights of the Ford C-Max off and accelerated away in a bid to shake off officers, and was spotted undertaking other vehicles at around 9:10pm
‘He was on the way to Skelmersdale and had gone past Junction 20 on the M6 still feeling agitated and frustrated. Clearly, he was not thinking about his driving. He hit excessive speeds – then saw the police following him in his rear view mirror.
‘He made a catalogue of appalling decisions, frankly. He said he was panicking, in full mode. He made a number of very poor decisions such as turning his lights off to try and avoid detection and overtaking on the inside lane.. It was shocking and he knows that.’
The probation worker said that when he was tracked down he was crying, and his mother came to take him to her home in Knutsford. His father picked up the car.
Poole’s lawyer Melanie Winstanley added. ‘He has shown remorse, he fully accepts responsibility and there are significant vulnerabilities.’
Poole admitted dangerous driving and was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison, suspended for two years. He was also banned from driving for four years, and ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid work, and participate with up to 50 days of rehabilitation activity.
He will also pay £174 in costs and a victim surcharge.
JP Ian Williams told him: ‘This is an extremely serious matter and clearly, your driving was totally unacceptable. You put a lot of people in danger including yourself but more importantly, innocent people.
‘You were driving at 98 mph then increased your speed considerably because the police were there. You were undertaking, you continued at 98mph despite the speed limit being 50. You reduced to 50mph, then switched off the lights.
‘You then made out you were stopping for the police and then made your escape. These are all very serious issues.
‘You should thank your family, it’s not easy for them but they have had the courage to come and support you.
‘The reasons for suspending the sentence are that you are clearly a vulnerable young man, you have got issues.
‘You have never had the intervention of the probation service in the past and we feel that there is a realistic chance of rehabilitation. You are a vulnerable young man and prison is not an ideal place for you.’
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