UK's 'worst driver' leads cops on 70mph chase despite already having SIX bans
One of Britain's worst drivers was jailed after leading police on a chase at double the speed limit - despite already being banned from driving six times.
Robert Peter Holliday - who in 2022 had an "appalling" 22 convictions for 65 offences - previously told officers that he gained an "adrenaline rush" from forcing officers to pursue him, often at high speed.
During his latest crime on August 4, he was spotted by a PC motoring through Staindrop, County Durham, with active disqualifications in place. It comes after boy, 5, is murdered by kidnappers because his mum couldn't pay £39 ransom.
Holliday's Ford Transit van was pursued through the village where the 37-year-old sped up to 70mph in the 30mph zone before coming to his senses, giving up and pulling over.
Video footage shows him getting out while holding his keys aloft as he walked round to the PC to hand them over.
He was put into the back of the police car where checks revealed he was not just a banned driver, but had six active disqualifications.
Despite being caught flouting his latest driving ban, Holliday still seemed hopeful that he could be dealt with at the roadside.
But he was arrested on suspicion of driving whilst disqualified and having no insurance.
Holliday, of Billy Row, Crook, was remanded in custody and put before Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court on Tuesday August 5 where he pleaded guilty to both offences.
He is now spending the rest of the summer in prison after being sentenced to 18 weeks and has also added another driving ban to his record with a further 33-month disqualification and more than £200 in costs on top.
Holliday's driving rap sheet is nothing short of terrible, with multiple motoring-related convictions.
He was jailed for 20 months in August 2015 after a police chase three months earlier - carried out while he was out on licence from a previous prison sentence for dangerous driving.
At the time, Durham Crown Court heard Holliday had a "fascination" with vehicles - and was initially followed by police after he was seen driving a Renault Clio without a seatbelt on Cockton Hill Road, Bishop Auckland, on May 26.
He then sped up to 90-miles per hour on the A689, while undertaking vehicles and heading the wrong way around a roundabout.
During the chase, a father-of-two driving a Volkswagen Golf tried to block him to help police but he rammed his car, containing a two-year-old child and four-week-old baby.
A previous hearing heard that when he was interviewed by the Probation Service, he admitted that seeing the blue light of a police car gave him an "adrenaline rush".
It was revealed that at the time he had a number of driving offences and had been jailed in each of the last two years for motoring matters, including a previous chase in which police cars were rammed.
In November 2022 he was back in court for driving a Volkswagen Transporter which sped off when approached by police on October 1.
Durham Crown Court heard that it began a lengthy pursuit in which he drove dangerously in built up urban and residential areas in Bishop Auckland and Crook, reaching 85mph.
Then again he carried out risky overtaking manoeuvres and went the wrong way around a roundabout.
Holliday and his passenger leapt out of the van as it was still travelling at about 30mph, leaving it to crash through someone's fence and into a garden.
Tabitha Buck, prosecuting, told the court he had "an extraordinary record" of driving offending with 22 previous convictions for 65 offences, dating from January 2003.
They included dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.
At that court appearance, Holliday appeared via video link from Durham Prison as he was jailed for 16 weeks by magistrates for other motoring offences committed five days before the latest incident.
A spokesperson for Durham Constabulary described Holliday as "another selfish driver off the roads."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Glasgow Times
5 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
Gang bundled pregnant woman into van and threatened to cut her fingers off
Audi Johnson, 35, Ahmad Ghiasi, 26, and Nicholas Mitchell, 55, bundled their victim who was six months pregnant, into the back of a van after she left her north London home on the morning of May 10 2024. She was blindfolded and bound at the wrist with cable ties by the gang as they sped away, before they fired questions at about her partner where one of them threatened: 'If you lie to me I'm gonna kick the baby out your stomach.' Nicholas Mitchell, 55, has been jailed along with Audi Johnson and Ahmad Ghiasi (Metropolitan Police/PA) Then a series of phone calls was made to her partner as the gang threatened to cut off her fingers if he did not quickly carry out their demands for money and valuable jewellery, the police said. Johnson, Ghiasi and Mitchell were found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap last month after a six-week trial at Kingston Crown Court. They were members of a London-based gang, who had been contracted to carry out the kidnapping, the force said. Ahmad Ghiasi was part of the gang that bundled their victim into the back of a van (Metropolitan Police/PA) The 36 year-old woman said she has not been able to go home since the traumatic ordeal and spent the rest of her pregnancy sleeping on her sister's couch. In her victim impact statement, she told the court: 'The incident ruined my life. I will never be the same person again. I am having to start my life all over again. 'I will forever have fear and paranoia as part of my life now. I didn't deserve to be a victim of what happened to me. And to top it off, it was all made so much worse by being pregnant. 'This will always be something that will be part of my pregnancy, which is meant to be a happy experience, and will always be something that is a part of my daughter.' Audi Johnson has been jailed for his part in the kidnap (Metropolitan Police/PA) She was kidnapped as she waited for a cab to take her to a personal training session with her mother and sister. She was walked along the curb close to her Enfield home, when she was suddenly grabbed and thrown into the back of a white Ford Transit van. A police spokesman said the Met's Flying Squad responded to the crime immediately. They tracked the van using CCTV and located the vehicle the same night the hostage was recovered. DNA evidence, fingerprint impressions and mobile phone data were used to identify the suspects. The police said Johnson, of Cranberry Close, Northolt, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and was sentenced to five years and four months. Ghiasi, of Fourth Avenue, Luton, was sentenced to seven years for conspiracy to kidnap. Mitchell, of Mannock Close, Barnet was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to kidnap.
Leader Live
6 hours ago
- Leader Live
Gang bundled pregnant woman into van and threatened to cut her fingers off
Audi Johnson, 35, Ahmad Ghiasi, 26, and Nicholas Mitchell, 55, bundled their victim who was six months pregnant, into the back of a van after she left her north London home on the morning of May 10 2024. She was blindfolded and bound at the wrist with cable ties by the gang as they sped away, before they fired questions at about her partner where one of them threatened: 'If you lie to me I'm gonna kick the baby out your stomach.' Then a series of phone calls was made to her partner as the gang threatened to cut off her fingers if he did not quickly carry out their demands for money and valuable jewellery, the police said. Johnson, Ghiasi and Mitchell were found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap last month after a six-week trial at Kingston Crown Court. They were members of a London-based gang, who had been contracted to carry out the kidnapping, the force said. The 36 year-old woman said she has not been able to go home since the traumatic ordeal and spent the rest of her pregnancy sleeping on her sister's couch. In her victim impact statement, she told the court: 'The incident ruined my life. I will never be the same person again. I am having to start my life all over again. 'I will forever have fear and paranoia as part of my life now. I didn't deserve to be a victim of what happened to me. And to top it off, it was all made so much worse by being pregnant. 'This will always be something that will be part of my pregnancy, which is meant to be a happy experience, and will always be something that is a part of my daughter.' She was kidnapped as she waited for a cab to take her to a personal training session with her mother and sister. She was walked along the curb close to her Enfield home, when she was suddenly grabbed and thrown into the back of a white Ford Transit van. A police spokesman said the Met's Flying Squad responded to the crime immediately. They tracked the van using CCTV and located the vehicle the same night the hostage was recovered. DNA evidence, fingerprint impressions and mobile phone data were used to identify the suspects. The police said Johnson, of Cranberry Close, Northolt, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and was sentenced to five years and four months. Ghiasi, of Fourth Avenue, Luton, was sentenced to seven years for conspiracy to kidnap. Mitchell, of Mannock Close, Barnet was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to kidnap.
North Wales Chronicle
6 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Gang bundled pregnant woman into van and threatened to cut her fingers off
Audi Johnson, 35, Ahmad Ghiasi, 26, and Nicholas Mitchell, 55, bundled their victim who was six months pregnant, into the back of a van after she left her north London home on the morning of May 10 2024. She was blindfolded and bound at the wrist with cable ties by the gang as they sped away, before they fired questions at about her partner where one of them threatened: 'If you lie to me I'm gonna kick the baby out your stomach.' Then a series of phone calls was made to her partner as the gang threatened to cut off her fingers if he did not quickly carry out their demands for money and valuable jewellery, the police said. Johnson, Ghiasi and Mitchell were found guilty of conspiracy to kidnap last month after a six-week trial at Kingston Crown Court. They were members of a London-based gang, who had been contracted to carry out the kidnapping, the force said. The 36 year-old woman said she has not been able to go home since the traumatic ordeal and spent the rest of her pregnancy sleeping on her sister's couch. In her victim impact statement, she told the court: 'The incident ruined my life. I will never be the same person again. I am having to start my life all over again. 'I will forever have fear and paranoia as part of my life now. I didn't deserve to be a victim of what happened to me. And to top it off, it was all made so much worse by being pregnant. 'This will always be something that will be part of my pregnancy, which is meant to be a happy experience, and will always be something that is a part of my daughter.' She was kidnapped as she waited for a cab to take her to a personal training session with her mother and sister. She was walked along the curb close to her Enfield home, when she was suddenly grabbed and thrown into the back of a white Ford Transit van. A police spokesman said the Met's Flying Squad responded to the crime immediately. They tracked the van using CCTV and located the vehicle the same night the hostage was recovered. DNA evidence, fingerprint impressions and mobile phone data were used to identify the suspects. The police said Johnson, of Cranberry Close, Northolt, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to kidnap and was sentenced to five years and four months. Ghiasi, of Fourth Avenue, Luton, was sentenced to seven years for conspiracy to kidnap. Mitchell, of Mannock Close, Barnet was sentenced to nine years for conspiracy to kidnap.
