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A disqualified driver who drove at three times the speed limit through a town centre has been jailed for over a year.
Jordan McGrath-Coulstock led Kent Police officers on a high-speed pursuit across rural, residential and town centre roads in East and West Malling, before a stinger had to be used to help bring his car to a stop in March 2020.
The 19-year-old, of Carnation Crescent, East Malling, admitted dangerous driving, three counts of driving while disqualified and three counts of driving without insurance. He was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to 54 weeks imprisonment on Monday 20 April.
McGrath-Coulstock was arrested on Sunday 8 March after he came to the attention of two Kent Police officers who spotted him driving a Mercedes in New Road. The officers knew he had been disqualified from driving but, due to travelling in the opposite direction, they could not safely stop him and lost sight of his vehicle.
Around 45 minutes later, while searching the area, the same two officers became suspicious of an uninsured Ford Mondeo which was in poor condition and travelling in Chapman Way. The driver immediately performed a U-turn to try and get away from the patrols and a pursuit took place across several rural and residential roads.
In their efforts to get away from the officers, the driver narrowly avoided a collision with cars and cyclists travelling in the opposite direction and failed to stop at corners. He also travelled at 60mph down West Malling High Street, despite the speed limit being 20mph.
A police stinger was deployed in St Leonard’s Street but the motorist failed to stop and continued to travel with deflated tyres towards a roundabout which joined the A228. As he approached the junction, the pursuing officers used their car to bring the suspect vehicle to a controlled stop and boxed the motorist in to prevent him escaping on foot.
At this point the driver was identified as McGrath-Coulstock and, upon being arrested, the log book of the Mercedes he had been seen driving was found in his pocket. He has been remanded in custody since his arrest.
In addition to the pursuit, McGrath-Coulstock was also spotted driving in slow moving traffic on the London Road in Maidstone by an off-duty Kent Police officer on Thursday 27 February. The officer recognised him due to previous dealings and knew he had been disqualified from driving.
Sergeant Ben Brennan, from Kent Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: ‘McGrath-Coulstock has repeatedly shown himself to be incapable of abiding by the most basic practices of good driving and in doing so, he endangered many lives.
‘Despite regular previous engagement with Kent Police, and for reasons only known to him, he persisted with his poor and reckless manner of driving.
‘His imprisonment means a significant threat to public safety is now off the roads and I hope he uses in time in custody to reflect upon his senseless behavior and consider changing his ways.’
