Man jailed over 140mph chase ending in crash

A man who led police on a 140mph (225 km/h) chase through Yorkshire which only ended when the car he was driving was thrown into the air after hitting a roundabout has been jailed.

Police said that Ashley Parr, 35, had driven his BMW 3 Series "erratically" on the A64 and A1(M) on 21 July last year, before the car became airborne after striking a roundabout near Lumby, causing it to roll several times and come to rest in a hedge.

Parr later admitted dangerous driving, drug-driving and drink driving.

At York Crown Court on Monday, Parr, of Moorland Drive, Guiseley, Leeds, was sentenced to 16 months in prison and banned from driving for three years and eight months.

According to police, a member of the public had first alerted officers to Parr's dangerous driving at about 21:10 BST that night in the Garrowby Hill area of East Yorkshire.

The BMW was registered to an address in Leeds, so officers anticipated Parr would take off along the A64 westbound towards the city.

While near York, Traffic Constable Nick Simpson positioned himself at the A64 Fulford Interchange and began following the vehicle, activating his car's blue lights.

The BMW had initially slowed and moved into lane one, but police said that Parr then made a sudden manoeuvre across the hatched markings and continued along the A64.

Failing to stop for police, he reached 130mph (209 km/h) before then joining the A1(M) southbound and increasing speed to 140mph.

Parr finally exited the A1(M) at junction 42, where his car went airborne after hitting the roundabout before eventually coming to a stop.

Following Parr's sentencing, Simpson said: "This was extremely dangerous driving that could easily have resulted in the death of other road users, as well as the driver himself.

"We are relentless in our approach to making North Yorkshire's roads safer for everyone.

"Removing individuals who drive in this manner sends a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated."

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