Dangerous driver sped wrong way down the East Lancs in police chase

Marshall Taylor, who failed to stop for officers and drove a car on the wrong side of the East Lancashire Road in St Helens has today, Friday, September 13, been sentenced to 28 months in prison.

Liverpool Crown Court heard details of the “shocking case of dangerous driving” during a police chase, which began in Parr, travelled through Newton-le-Willows, and culminated in officers ramming the car to bring it to a halt on the East Lancs.

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The court was told the defendant had sped near schoolchildren trying to cross the road and even mounted the pavement at one stage to overtake a vehicle.

Taylor drove in excess of twice the speed limit on the wrong side of the road, jumping numerous red traffic lights before embarking on his perilous journey down the East Lancs.

The teenager then deliberately drove at a police car before officers managed to ram his car and detain him.

Taylor had been on police bail at the time, following an incident in which he had knocked over his ex-girlfriend after riding at her on an electric bike.

Taylor, 19, appeared for sentencing at the court on Friday morning via video link from custody.

Marshall Taylor was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday (Image: Stock)

During the hearing, prosecutor Catherine Ellis said that the defendant was being sentenced over the two separate cases of dangerous driving.

Taylor 'knocked over his ex with electric bike'

Ms Ellis said the first incident took place on December 6, last year when Taylor’s former girlfriend walked past his home on Bank Street, in Newton-le-Willows.

She said Taylor was on “bail conditions” at the time “not to contact her” though “it does appear there had been continued exchanging of messages which, to say the least, were somewhat unpleasant”.

Taylor'ss ex-girlfriend recognised him after he “shouted at her 'what are you doing? My sister will be here now’, which she interpreted as a threat his sister would beat her up.”

Ms Ellis said: “She started arguing with the defendant, he had an off-road electric bike and proceeded to ride that at her as she was standing in the road. He missed her by inches and turned and rode at her again, and on that occasion she had her back to him”.

Taylor collided into her “behind the knees causing her to fall to the floor and she suffered significant bruises to her arms and legs, and cuts and bruises on her shin”.

After this, Taylor “simply rode away”.

Ms Ellis said that in an impact statement, the victim said she had been left feeling “isolated and scared for herself and (her) family” after the incident.

'Shocking' course of dangerous driving during police pursuit

Meanwhile, on the morning of May 20 this year, Taylor conducted the “shocking” course of driving culminating in his car being rammed by the police.

The scene after the car was brought to an eventual stop (Image: Merseyside Police)

Ms Ellis said that at around 9.10am, traffic officers on patrol saw a Nissan Juke on  Chancery Lane, Parr “bearing false number plates”. It was said the driver “appeared to react to their presence” and took a left turn to Fleet Lane “which hadn’t been the manoeuvre he originally intended to make” which “gave officers further grounds for concern”.

The court heard that during the following pursuit Taylor “drove repeatedly at double the speed limit on the wrong side of the road and through red lights in ways that caused other drivers to have to avoid” him.

Ms Ellis told the court that Taylor reached speeds in excess of up to around 70 mph has he took a course through Parr and Newton-le-Willows, at one point travelling at around 60mph in a 30mph zone in “an area where school pupils were looking to cross the road”.

At one point as he was tailgating a white Vauxhall Corsa he “mounted a pavement outside the Oak Tree public house”, at the junction with Ashton Road.

Taylor made his way to Haydock Island where he “drove across a traffic island to change lanes” and went on to the East Lancs and “continued overtaking and swerving”.

Ms Ellis said that the pursuing police officer’s “immediate reaction was to drop back and cancel the pursuit but he was aware that the defendant was continuing to drive at 80 mph on the wrong side of the A580” as “other drivers were forced to take evasive action”.

The court was told “the officer assessing the threat to the public made the decision that the best thing to do for the public was to continue the pursuit and try and make tactical contact at the next suitable traffic lights junction”.

The officer tried to “pull across the defendants’ path but having spotted the officers the defendant slowed with the result they went past the defendant”.

Taylor then “deliberately drove at the police car colliding into its rear side” before police then managed to “successfully” made a tactical stop of the defendant’s car, culminating in a crash that also involved a “third party vehicle”.

Marshall Taylor embarked on the shocking course of dangerous driving (Image: Merseyside Police)

Ms Ellis said Taylor then “tried to make off on foot leaving a female passenger behind” before he was Tasered and arrested.

The court was told Taylor had five previous convictions, including for criminal damage, two drugs offences, assault and possession of a knife.

The police car involved in the crash had to “written off” and replaced at a cost of around £40,000.

Judge passes jail sentence 

Passing sentence, judge Stuart Driver KC said that Taylor’s offence in on May was “very bad driving indeed”

He noted “the police officer said it was the worst driving he had ever seen”. The judge said his offending was “aggravated by the fact there were schoolchildren” in the area.

He reduced Taylor’s sentence for the driving in the Nissan by one-third due to his early guilty plea, and for his earlier offence on the electric bike by 10 per cent as he pleaded guilty on the day of a trial.

The 19-year-old, of Bank Street, Newton-le-Willows, was sentenced to 28 months in a young offender’s institution in total, and disqualified from driving for five years and two months, plus an extended licence period of 14 months.

Defending Taylor, Stephen McNally said his client’s “principle mitigation arises from his guilty pleas” and cited his “complex history and domestic background”.

After Taylor's sentencing, Inspector Phil McManus from the Matrix Roads Policing Unit said: “The actions of this driver on that day – driving at speed and on the wrong side of the road with no regard for other motorists - could clearly have had serious or even fatal consequences.

“Thankfully our officers were able to act quickly and decisively to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.

“Our pursuit drivers are highly trained and experienced professionals.

“This serves as an example of the difficult decisions police officers make daily, while risking their own safety, to keep the public safe.”

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of St Helens. Please get in touch at simon.mulligan@newsquest.co.uk