Disqualified driver jailed after ramming two police cars and crashing into four other vehicles during chase through Wellingborough
A disqualified driver has been sentenced to 16 months in prison and had his driving ban extended for almost four years after he rammed two police cars and crashed into four other vehicles.
Shortly before 8.30pm on February 2 this year, a grey Land Rover Discovery on cloned plates, which had been stolen from Bedfordshire last September, activated automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras in Wellingborough.
Officers from Northamptonshire Police’s Roads Policing Team spotted the car in the town’s Abbey Road and followed it for a short distance as it travelled along Croyland Road, Northampton Road and Grove Road before coming to a stop in Westfield Road.
With one unmarked car parked behind it, and another in front, the driver – 37-year-old Danny Lee Stray - used the Land Rover to ram both police vehicles, causing significant damage, as he forced his way past them.
In his bid to evade arrest, Stray mounted the pavement in the Land Rover, crashing it into four parked vehicles – causing extensive damage – and became wedged between a Ford Transit van and a garden wall.
He ran off from the scene, however after a further report of someone garden hopping in a nearby street, Police Dog Pyper and her handler tracked Stray to an outbuilding, where he was found hiding.
Stray, of Sassoon Close in Wellingborough, was arrested before being subsequently charged with driving dangerously, driving while disqualified, driving without third party insurance and failing to stop for a police officer.
On February 4 at Northampton Magistrates Court, the failing to stop charge was withdrawn, but Stray pleaded guilty to the other three offences. He was remanded in custody and his case was committed to the county’s crown court for sentencing.
Earlier this month (April 1), Stray appeared at Northampton Crown Court and was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment and disqualified from driving for a further three years and four months. He will need to pass an extensive test to obtain his licence.
Lead investigator PC James Condon of the Roads Policing Team said: “People like Danny Stray are banned from driving for good reason, and we will always do all we can to make sure those who feel the rules don’t apply to them are brought to account.
“He knew that he was disqualified from driving until December 2025 and his dangerous efforts to evade arrest demonstrate his reckless and selfish outlook, and his total disregard for the courts.
“Thankfully, no-one was seriously injured, but Stray’s actions still had a significant impact on others’ lives. The owners didn’t just have the hardship of not having their vehicles but were also left out of pocket financially.
“The extensive damage to the police cars also had a substantial financial cost to the force, while the loss of two of our fleet impacted our ability to fight crime and protect the public.
“I’m really pleased to see Stray dealt with robustly by the court and can say our roads are a safer place without him on them.”
In 2024, 31 people never returned home safely to their loved ones following a collision in Northamptonshire and 243 required urgent medical assistance for serious or life-changing injuries.
Anyone with information about road safety concerns or vehicle crime can report it at www.northants.police.uk/reportonline or call police on 101.