Newcastle road menace did 90mph in 30 zone and wrote off two cars during police chase

Jack Fowler, of Elswick, jailed for violent disorder during the Sunderland riot last year, was behind the wheel of a stolen Land Rover when police tried to pull him over

A road menace who reached 90mph in a 30 zone before writing off two cars has been jailed.

Jack Fowler, jailed last year for his part in a riot in Sunderland, led police on a pursuit which was so dangerous officers repeatedly had to pull out of it for the safety of other road users.

On May 30 last year, he was spotted at the A189 at Moor Farm Roundabout in a Land Rover Discovery which had been stolen from outside a house in Newcastle three days earlier. When police tried to pull it over, its speed increased to more than 100mph.

Fowler refused to pull over and made several dangerous manoeuvres, going through red lights and on the wrong side of the road as he headed towards Gosforth. His driving was so dangerous, officers aborted the pursuit at that stage. A short time later, he was spotted in a bus lane on the Great North Road, doing 90mph in a 30mph zone.

He then crossed onto the opposite carriageway and started driving into oncoming traffic. Such was the danger, police again pulled out of the pursuit.

Another officer then took over and observed Fowler continuing along the Great North Road at twice the speed limit. A pedestrian stepped out to cross the road at one stage and had to quickly step back when they saw the speeding Land Rover approaching.

At Regent Centre, another pedestrian with their back to the car and about the cross the road, fortunately, saw it coming in time.

Then near the Redheugh Bridge, in Newcastle city centre, Fowler forced his way between two cars, pushing them out of the way and causing significant damage to all three vehicles.

Police again ended the pursuit due to the danger it posed to other road users. The Land Rover was later spotted by another officer and was then found abandoned.

Fowler and a passenger had fled on foot with the police helicopter closing in. They were found hiding on a flat roof and were coaxed down. Inside the car, police found a machete and a knife.

The Land Rover, worth £13,670, was written off, as was one of the cars he rammed – a Jaguar worth £2,664, with the owner having to pay out £3,000 for a replacement car. The other car he hit, a Nissan Qashqai sustained £14,768 of damage.

In a victim impact statement, the owner of the Land Rover said they were without a car for four months, which caused particular difficulties as they have four children. The children were also left scared to go to bed in case they were burgled again.

Fowler, 25, formerly of Northbourne Street, Elswick, who has 35 previous convictions, including for violent disorder in Sunderland on August 2 last year, and who is currently serving a four year sentence for drugs offences, admitted dangerous driving, handling stolen goods and possessing a machete and a knife. He was jailed for 22 months but to run alongside the four-year sentence not consecutively to it. He was also banned from driving.

Recorder Andrew Latimer told him: “When you drive this way you are putting yourself at risk and also ordinary members of the public who are never expecting speeding motorists.”

Kate Barnes, defending, said Fowler had a daughter in 2023 and was struggling to adapt to parenthood at the time of the offending. She added: “He has grown up significantly since.

“He is now drug free and has held down important jobs in the prison. This was a period of time when he was not making good decisions.

The Chronical