Disqualified driver found in drain after A27 chase near Lewes

Disqualified driver Dean Loughran-Oxley hit 90mph as he sped away from officers who had pulled him over as his Audi Q3 was showing as untaxed.

A lengthy chase followed as he pulled away along the A27 at Lewes. The 42-year-old's 4x4 was brought to a stop, but he then clambered out of the car and continued to flee on foot.

The road worker was eventually discovered hiding in a drain, and, after being arrested and charged by police, he has now been jailed.

Officers were carrying out a routine patrol in the early hours of Monday, February 22, when they spotted the blue Audi, which was showing as untaxed, travelling eastbound.

Dean Loughran-Oxley has been jailed after he was stopped by police following a chase on the A27

Officers were carrying out a routine patrol in the early hours of Monday, February 22, when they spotted the blue Audi, which was showing as untaxed, travelling eastbound.

They pulled the car over, speaking to the driver and asking him to step out of the car. It was at this point that he decided to try and make his getaway, slamming the accelerator down and speeding away along a pavement before cutting over a grass verge to rejoin the road.

The officers set off in pursuit. At the same time, further armed and roads policing unit teams were called to assist.

WATCH: The moment a disqualified Audi driver was rammed by a police car on the #A27 before climbing out, running away and hiding in a drain pic.twitter.com/9q4B83CkG2

— Harry Bullmore (@HarryBullmore) April 21, 2021

The Audi was eventually brought to a standstill by a "Stop Stick" device laid by police teams on the road, which was able to puncture the car's tyres.

Officers rammed the 4x4 with their cars and boxed it in so it could not be driven away again.

But the chase was far from over.

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Loughran-Oxley flung open the driver's door and ran away on foot, wearing what appeared to be a high-vis jacket.

The fugitive was able to evade officers by scaling a large wall, and the police helicopter was launched to bolster efforts to track him down.

But, despite his best efforts, the 42-year-old could not escape from one a police dog.

Dean Loughran-Oxley has been jailed after he was stopped by police following a chase on the A27

But, despite his best efforts, the 42-year-old could not escape from one a police dog.

Police Dog Flak, a five-year-old German Shepherd, traced him to a drain which runs under the road in Black Path, Polegate.

He was identified as Dean Loughran-Oxley, of no fixed address, and was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop when required by police and possession of cannabis.

He was remanded in custody to appear before Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, February 23, where he was further remanded ahead of sentencing on Friday, April 9.

He was sentenced to a total of 60 weeks’ imprisonment Lewes Crown Court, and he was also further disqualified from driving for three-and-a-half years.

Dean Loughran-Oxley has been jailed after he was stopped by police following a chase on the A27

He was sentenced to a total of 60 weeks’ imprisonment Lewes Crown Court, and he was also further disqualified from driving for three-and-a-half years.

Assistant Chief Constable Lisa Bell, of operations command, said: "This case should serve as a reminder that we will not tolerate dangerous or antisocial driving, and we will continue to take action against anyone who misuses our roads.

"Our frontline officers are trained to an extremely high standard across multiple disciplines to ensure they are able to respond to a wide range of incidents.

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"Being multi-skilled enables our officers to work together effectively to achieve our force priorities – to protect communities, to catch criminals and to deliver an outstanding service.

"This is just one example of officers from different divisions putting their own expertise to good use, while also counting on their colleagues to help achieve the desired outcome.

"Some people may see this as just part of their job, but our frontline officers put themselves in harm’s way to prevent, detect and respond to crime in order to keep the public safe."