Dangerous driver caused £24k of damage when he 'rammed' police vehicles during chase in South Yorkshire

A dangerous driver caused £24,000 of damage when he ‘rammed’ and collided with South Yorkshire Police vehicles over the course of two prolonged pursuits, in an attempt to evade justice. 

Lloyd Pattison carried out the first of the stints of dangerous driving at around 10.15pm on January 5, 2023, when police noticed an Astra vehicle ‘driving at speed,’ Sheffield Crown Court heard. 

Detailing the facts of the case, the judge, Recorder Felicity Davies, told 33-year-old Pattison: “They indicated for it to stop, you were the driver. You ignored the indication, and sped off, and made a determined effort to get away from the police. 

“The dangerous nature of your driving is demonstrated by your speed…you drove at 50 miles per hour (mph) in a 30 zone, you accelerated to between 70 and 80mph in a 50mph zone, you ignored a ‘no right turn’ sign, all to try and evade the police. 

“Various police cars, by now, were following, seeking to stop you. Continuing your efforts to get away from them, you drove on the wrong side of the road, despite oncoming vehicles, and created a danger for other drivers.”

“The pursuit ended when you collided with two police vehicles who had boxed you in, as the only means of getting you to stop.”

The cost of repairing the two police vehicles damaged during this incident was estimated to be approximately £17,000, the court heard. 

During a hearing held on August 1, 2023, the court was told that Pattison was on bail for the first offence, when the second police pursuit took place just eight days later, on January 13, 2023, when the defendant was driving a Ford Tipper vehicle. 

Recorder Davies continued: “It’s a large vehicle, the police indicated for you to stop. You didn’t. You had driven about 100 metres, you stopped sharply, reversed that large vehicle deliberately to ram the police car behind you three times. You went forward and rammed the police vehicle, which must have been frightening for the driver, and, of course, caused more damage, estimated to cost £7,000.

“The total cost to the police brought about by your offences is £24,000, which is an enormous sum, really.”

She added: “It’s the tax-payer who has to pay that, presumably.”

Pattison has a criminal record spanning 35 offences from 22 appearances, including previous convictions for dangerous driving, and like offences including driving with excess alcohol, the court heard. The defendant was also disqualified from driving at the time of the offences. 

Pattison, of Central Drive, Rawmarsh, Rotherham, pleaded guilty to offences of dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and criminal damage at an earlier hearing. 

Defending, Caroline Abraham, told Recorder Davies that none of her mitigation was intended to ‘detract from how foolish his decision making has been in the past’. 

She added: “I hope Your Honour accepts his remorse, which has been demonstrated through his plea and letter to the court…there is another side to his personality, as Your Honour no doubt will have read.”

Ms Abraham said Pattison had previously been someone who ‘struggled with misusing’ illegal drugs including crack cocaine and cannabis, as a way of ‘medicating’ for ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder). 

She added that he has made ‘great strides’ during his time in custody on remand, and has now been put onto medication for his ADHD, which, she suggested, has made a ‘world of difference’ to him. 

Ms Abraham asked Recorder Davies to take into consideration the fact that Pattison has been on remand since the offences were committed seven months ago, and therefore, has already served the equivalent of a 14-month sentence. 

Recorder Davies told Pattison these were ‘particularly serious offences of dangerous driving’ but added that she believed he has ‘considerable mitigation’ and is ‘now motivated to stay out of trouble’. 

She sentenced Pattison to 18 months in custody, suspended for two years, and ordered him to complete a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement; 200 hours of unpaid work and to pay £1,500 in compensation towards the cost of the damage he caused to police vehicles.