He sped through a Starbucks drive-thru then went the wrong way down a dual carriageway
Rhys Morris(Image: South Wales Police)
A man from Bristol has been jailed after he tried to evade police at a Starbucks drive-thru, reverse-rammed a police car and then sped the wrong way down a dual carriageway.
A judge told Rhys Morris that he was lucky he was not facing a charge of causing death by dangerous driving, but instead had pleaded guilty to a string of driving offences when he appeared in court on yesterday (Thursday, June 25).
A court heard the incident described by the judge as ‘an appalling catalogue of driving’ was actually the second police chase involving Morris, 30, and the third time he’d been stopped by police – in a month.
The first happened on March 10, when Morris was involved in a high-speed chase around the residential streets near Cribbs Causeway, which saw him racing at 65mph in 30mph zones, going through multiple red traffic lights, and driving on the wrong side of the road – all after turning off the headlights on his car in a bid to lose the pursuing officers, Wales Online reported.
When Morris, from Apseleys Mead in Bradley Stoke, eventually came to a stop he refused to comply with officers’ instructions and “actively resisted” arrest. Checks showed he only held a provisional driving licence. After being interviewed he was released on bail.
The court heard Morris came to the attention of police again on April Fool’s Day when police responded to reports of suspicious activity involving a white van behind the Vue cinema in Cribbs Causeway.
As police approached, the van drove off and was seen moving between lanes in a bid to lose the pursuing officers.
Eventually police units managed to get in front of the fleeing van and stop it. Morris then gave officers a false name, but did admit to having a ‘bag of weed’ in the vehicle.
A roadside drugs swipe proved positive for cannabis, but the defendant subsequently refused to give a sample of blood for testing. He was again released on bail, and just over a week later committed the worst offences – this time in Swansea.
Alexandra Wilson, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that at just after midnight on April 19 this year, police officers were in an unmarked patrol car near the Starbucks coffee shop off Swansea’s Fabian Way when their attention was drawn to a Vauxhall Corsa car which was making a ‘strange noise’.
The officers ran a check on the vehicle and it came back as being insured to a woman, but the person driving it was a man.
The court heard that the officers illuminated the blue lights on their car and a woman quickly got out of the passenger side of the Corsa before the Vauxhall sped off with the passenger door still open.
The prosecutor said the Corsa drove through the Starbucks drive thru and accelerated away, pursued by the police car. The Corsa then came to a sudden stop before Morris reversed into the police car following him.
The court heard the Corsa drove away through the Starbucks car park – narrowly avoiding another car in the process – and joined the Fabian Way dual carriageway on the wrong side of the road, driving towards oncoming traffic.
An area search was launched for the Corsa and some 10 minutes later it was found in a car park in Swansea’s SA1 development. Morris was arrested nearby and his speech was noted to be slurred. The 30-year-old subsequently refused to give a sample of urine for analysis.
Morris had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of dangerous driving, two counts of failing to provide a specimen for analysis, three counts of driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, three counts of driving without insurance, criminal damage of the South Wales Police car he rammed, and possession of cannabis.
The court heard that Morris had no previous convictions, and he couldn’t explain the sudden spate of offences.
Andrew Evans, for Morris, said the probation officer who interviewed the defendant for his pre-sentence report had asked his client why he had become involved in the spate of offending, but Morris ‘had been at a loss to explain it’ other than he knew he had cannabis in his system or in his vehicle and thought he could drive away from police.
The advocate said Morris understood that he had put the lives of others at risk by his behaviour and he said as a result of the offending his client had lost his employment.
Recorder Mark Powell KC told Morris he had engaged in an ‘appalling’ catalogue of driving and said he was lucky he was not facing a charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
With one-third discounts for his guilty pleas Morris was sentenced to three years in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
The defendant was banned from driving for a total of six years and must pass an extended test before he can get a full licence.