Yorkshire drink-driver who took police on high-speed pursuit told officers he had been 'drinking ale'

Response officers were conducting proactive vehicle stops in Doncaster city centre around 5am on March 29 when they approached a white Ford Transit van being driven by Jake Horne, 32.

Following a spate of van thefts in the area, officers approached the vehicle to check its documents.

However, when they went up to Horne he told them to "f*** off".

Horne then led officers on a dangerous pursuit in which he went the wrong way down one-way streets, drove through a red light, drove on the wrong side of the road and broke the speed limit.

A pursuit by officers saw them keep Horne in their sights and when he entered a cul-de-sac in Balby, he had nowhere to go and was subsequently arrested.

Horne later admitted to officers at the scene that he had been "drinking ale" and he failed a roadside breath test after blowing 98, with the legal limit being 35.

Further checks by officer revealed that Horne had no insurance and no licence to drive the vehicle he was behind the wheel of.

Acting Chief Inspector James Bennett, from Doncaster's Response Team, said: "Proactive patrols and vehicle stops form an important part of response officers' duties and it was great aptitude and teamwork that led to Horne's arrest.

"Our officers remained calm and composed in pursuing Horne and bringing him to a stop. Had he continued to drive around without police intervention, it doesn't bear thinking about the damage and harm he could have caused given the manner of his driving."

Horne, of Church Balk, Edenthorpe, was arrested and brought into custody.

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He was later charged with driving while over the prescribed limit of alcohol, driving without insurance, driving without a licence and dangerous driving.

He appeared before Sheffield Crown Court on Wednesday May 15 for sentencing where he was given a 12-month community order which requires him to complete 150 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity.

Horne, who was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £114, has also been banned from holding or obtaining a driving licence for two years.