Nidderdale man jailed after 70mph police chase through Knaresborough

A Nidderdale man has been jailed after a high-speed police chase saw him narrowly miss oncoming vehicles and an elderly pedestrian.

Ethan Wells-Smith, 33, was driving his grey Ford Ranger out of Knaresborough when police noticed he was driving with only a provisional licence, York Crown Court heard.

Police activated their blue lights and sirens, but Wells-Smith sped away along the middle of the A658, forcing oncoming drivers to swerve to avoid a collision.

Prosecutor Oliver Kilvington said: “On approaching the Kestrel roundabout, he drove in the contraflow, narrowly missing other vehicles.”

The Ranger then sped up to 70mph, again travelling in the centre of the road, as it approached the roundabout at the St James Retail Park in Knaresborough.

He turned onto the A59 at the Goldsborough roundabout before driving “aggressively” around two more roundabouts.

The Ranger reached 50mph in the 30mph Chain Lane, narrowly missing an elderly pedestrian crossing the road.

At Park Lane, Wells-Smith took a sharp right, mounting the kerb to avoid an oncoming vehicle.

The Ranger continued along a single-track lane towards a series of farms before speeding into a 5mph farmyard at around 40mph.

“He did not reduce speed and had no regard for any other motorists or farm workers,” said Mr Kilvington.

Wells-Smith turned onto a narrow farm track, forcing police to abandon the pursuit as the Ranger’s off-road capabilities allowed it to continue.

Officers found the vehicle abandoned and locked further along the track, but Wells-Smith was nowhere to be seen.

However, his attempt to escape proved futile.

Police traced the vehicle to his address, while a PCSO at the Kestrel roundabout got a clear look at Wells-Smith behind the wheel during the six-mile, 10-minute chase.

Wells-Smith, of Church View, Dacre Banks, was arrested on December 30 last year, more than a month after the high-speed chase on the morning of November 28.

He refused to answer police questions and confirm that he was the driver.

He was charged with dangerous driving, failing to give information relating to the identification of the driver and driving without a proper licence.

Wells-Smith took the case to a trial at York Magistrates’ Court in July when he was convicted of all three offences in his absence, having failed to turn up.

The PCSO who spotted him at the Kestrel roundabout testified that Wells-Smith was the man he saw behind the wheel of the fleeing Ranger.

Wells-Smith was arrested again on a warrant for his no-show at court and was supposed to appear at the magistrates’ court again on July 29 after being remanded in custody, but refused to leave his cell.

He was duly committed to the Crown Court where he appeared for sentence today (August 19) via prison video link.

Mr Kilvington said that during the police chase, Wells-Smith sped straight over junctions, overtook several vehicles and “erratically” swerved around moving and parked cars.

Wells-Smith was the registered keeper of the Ranger but held only a provisional licence and had never held a full driving licence.

His 37 previous motoring offences dated back to 2012 and included dangerous driving, drink-driving and driving without insurance or a licence. He received a three-year driving ban in March 2014.

In January 2017, he was convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving while drink-driving and driving while disqualified.

He was jailed for 30 months and banned from driving for four years for those offences and aggravated vehicle-taking.

In that case, Wells-Smith took a car belonging to a woman he knew without permission before causing a five-vehicle crash in which someone suffered serious injuries.

In July 2022, he was back out on the roads and driving while disqualified, and with no insurance or a licence. For those offences he was given a suspended jail sentence and a two-year driving ban.

His solicitor, Neil Cutter, said Wells-Smith failed to stop for police during the Knaresborough pursuit “out of sheer panic”, knowing he should not have been driving with only a provisional licence.

Judge Simon Hickey condemned Wells-Smith for another episode of dangerous driving, saying he had “no regard” for the rules of the road and had put “so many” motorists, pedestrians, farm workers and police officers at risk.

“It was surprising that nobody was killed or maimed,” added Mr Hickey.

Wells-Smith was jailed for 15 months and given a three-year driving ban.