A dangerous driver was brought to a stop after taking cops on a high-speed chase through five villages.
Ondrej Kralik, 30, reached speeds of 95mph during the pursuit, which lasted for ten minutes.
The pursuit began when officers spotted him mount a grass verge as he recklessly overtook another vehicle on a roundabout along Old Rufford Road, Calverton.
He then accelerated away at speed, prompting the officers to turn around in order to catch up with the silver Kia Ceed.
Upon nearing the Kia and activating blue lights and sirens, Kralik increased his speed and failed to stop.
The ten-minute footage was played at Nottingham Crown Court and included:
- Kralik reached 86mph in a 50mph zone;
- Officers flashed headlights in a bid to get him to stop – only for Kralik to go even faster, hitting 95mph (almost double the speed limit) in an effort to evade capture;
- Kralik veered onto the wrong side of the road at high speed overtaking vehicles, and risking a head-on collision;
- He then sped over the brow of a hill while on the wrong side of the road;
- Upon reaching a roundabout, he went the wrong way around before reaching a staggering 85mph in a 30mph zone;
- After tearing through Farnsfield, Edingley and Hallam, he reached Southwell where he tried to head down a one-way system in Queen Street. However, his Kia became wedged between a BMW and a signpost, enabling officers to pull him out of the car and arrest him.
The court heard the pursuit happened on 28 September 2022 – just six days after he committed another motoring offence that resulted in a £656 fine and his driving licence being endorsed with six points.
In relation to the police chase, he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 14 February 2023.
His sentencing took place on Tuesday (21 March) at Nottingham Crown Court, where a judge heard he had no previous convictions and committed the offence at a time when he’d gone “off the rails”.
The judge was told he was struggling following the breakdown of a relationship, loss of employment and loss of accommodation.
Sentencing Kralik to ten months in prison, suspended for two years, Judge Nirmal Shant KC told him: “This was a particularly bad piece of dangerous driving over a sustained period of time.
“I have no doubt that you only stopped because you tried to go the wrong way down a one-way route and collided with a vehicle.
“It’s only luck rather than good judgement that you didn’t cause a serious injury to someone else.”
In addition to the suspended prison sentence, Kralik, of Worksop Road, St Ann’s, was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work and disqualified from driving for 18 months.
Following the sentencing, Inspector Graham Clarke, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was an appalling and dangerous display of driving that could very easily have ended up with someone being killed or seriously injured.
“By attempting to flee from the police he placed members of the public and himself at considerable risk. I am pleased that his pursuit was bought to a safe conclusion and would like to pay tribute to the skill and professionalism of the officers involved.
“I also hope that Kralik learns from this experience and resolves never to act in this way again.”
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