Man jailed and banned from driving for two years following police chase in stolen Land Rover across Harrogate district

Ethan Bodally, 24, had driven on the wrong side of the road during the police pursuit and at one point crashed into a lamppost, but he refused to stop until smashing into a wooden fence and ending up in a field, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Michael Cahill said Bodally was driving “in convoy” with another suspect on a stolen quad bike before police chased the Land Rover Defender.

Both vehicles had been stolen from a farm in Harrogate before the police chase at about 2am on December 14 last year.

Following the crash, Bodally got out of the Land Rover and said to police: “Did you got the other one behind me?”

He was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle-taking and driving without insurance or a licence. He admitted the offences and appeared for sentence via video link today (January 5).

Mr Cahill said police gave chase after a lorry driver reported seeing a suspected stolen quad bike without lights on being ridden along the A168 near Boroughbridge.

A traffic officer went to investigate and parked on the link road between the A59 and A168 to wait for the quad bike.

“He then saw a Land Rover Defender approach his right-hand side and the Land Rover (was) being driven in convoy with the quad bike,” said Mr Cahill.

The officer followed the Land Rover, which was being driven “at speed and erratically” and failed to stop when the flashing blue lights and siren were turned on.

“The Land Rover was driven at 50mph in a 30mph zone and at one point lost control, mounted a grassy area and collided with a lamppost (but) the driver continued to fail to stop,” added Mr Cahill.

“The Land Rover travelled on the wrong side of the road and went the wrong way around a roundabout.”

The chase continued into York where police laid a stinger outside Huntington Fire Station which punctured all four of the Land Rover’s tyres, but still Bodally refused to stop.

“He tried to make off before losing control and going through a wooden fence and coming to a stop in a field,” said Mr Cahill.

Police arrested Bodally and traced the registered ownership of the vehicle to a farmer in Harrogate.

His son had kept the Land Rover in an outbuilding but discovered it had gone missing along with a set of keys.

Two quad bikes had also been stolen.

Bodally, of Poole Crescent, Leeds, was never charged with any of the thefts.

The court heard he had 10 previous convictions for 21 offences including aggravated vehicle-taking, carrying a knife, witness intimidation, burglary, conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, thefts, failing to provide details after a road accident and breaching court orders.

In September 2020, he received a two-year jail sentence for dealing heroin and crack cocaine and in March last year he was jailed for 10 months for burglary.

At the time of the police chase in Harrogate and York, he was on prison licence following his release from his last jail sentence about four months previously.

Bodally’s solicitor advocate Michele Turner described his latest offence as a “foolish errand”.

Judge Simon Hickey said Bodally’s dangerous-driving antics were of the type “that puts us all at risk”.

Bodally was handed a 10-month jail sentence, of which he will serve half behind bars before being released on prison licence.

He was also slapped with a two-year driving ban.