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28
Aug
Man jailed after 90mph chase through Harrogate streets
A Harrogate man who drove at 90mph in a 30-zone, drove the wrong way around the Empress roundabout and rammed a police car has been jailed for a year and two months.
Timmy James, 39, of Hawes Road, Harrogate, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on August 7 at Harrogate Magistrates Court, where he was also handed a driving ban until his sentencing today (Thursday, August 28).
As well as jail time, James has been disqualified from driving for 31 months, and is required to take an extended driving test before he can get his licence back. James is also required to pay a surcharge of £187.
The incident started at about 9.25pm on Saturday, June 7 2025, when James was travelling in front of a North Yorkshire Police patrol car. Due to his manner of driving, an officer requested him to stop by putting on the police car's lights and sirens but the vehicle failed to stop, so a pursuit was authorised.
At first, James drove within the speed limit and adhered to traffic regulations, but when he joined the A59 Knaresborough Road – a 30mph road – in Harrogate, he sped up to 50mph.
Alarmingly, he even drove the wrong way around the Empress roundabout, causing other drivers to take evasive action to avoid hitting him.
James drove the BMW the wrong way around the roundabout.
Driving erratically, James sped up to an extremely dangerous 90mph in a 30mph area, crunching over speed bumps and going through three red traffic lights, including one at Woodlands Crossroads, where other drivers again had to quickly react in order to prevent a collision.
The pursuit continued into a housing estate, where James intentionally drove head on into the police car, causing over £5,000 worth of damage to it.
You can watch North Yorkshire Police's dashcam footage of the incident below:
Investigating officer, Traffic Constable Gary Dukes, of North Yorkshire Police's Roads Policing Group, said:
James's shocking manner of driving was extremely dangerous, putting members of the public and himself at great risk of serious injury or worse. Thankfully there were no injuries, this incident could have very well had a devastating conclusion.
Today's sentence sends a clear message that North Yorkshire Police and the criminal justice system will not tolerate such appalling, life-threatening driving and it is right that he has been taken off the roads.
Road safety is a priority for North Yorkshire Police and we'll take robust action against anyone who puts the safety of members of the public at risk.
Anyone who thinks they can evade arrest by driving dangerously needs to think again.
"We will use all our powers to remove them from the roads including the deployment of our highly skilled pursuit-trained officers.
North Yorkshire Police advises anyone seeing someone driving dangerously to call it in on 999 or via 101 if there's no immediate risk.
Callers can remain anonymous by contacting Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or by making an online report.
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