Nathan O’Malia sped at 100mph and crashed into a taxi as he led police on a 40-minute chase
17:00, 13 May 2026Updated 18:27, 13 May 2026
Nathan O’Malia “drove like a maniac” a court was told(Image: Merseyside Police)
A drink driver sped “like a maniac” during a 40-minute pursuit with police after collecting his girlfriend from a night out. Nathan O’Malia said he “panicked” when officers attempted to pull him over, after which he reached up to 100mph, drove on the hard shoulder of the motorway and crashed into a taxi.
One of his passengers even “considered jumping out of the car to save her life” as a lift home from her birthday celebrations descended into a terrifying high speed chase. A judge told him as he was locked up today: “It could only have been worse if you had caused very significant injury to somebody. It is, frankly, a miracle that nobody was seriously harmed.”
Liverpool Crown Court heard this afternoon, Wednesday May 13, that O’Malia’s partner called him on the morning of November 16 last year requesting a lift home to Wigan from Liverpool city centre after she and a friend had been on a night out for the latter’s birthday. The 34-year-old defendant, of Sandringham Drive in St Helens, picked the two women up in his Mitsubishi L200, although the couple then argued due to him being under the influence of alcohol.
Olivia Randell, prosecuting, described how she threatened to call police as a result before a patrol car attempted to stop the vehicle on Edge Lane shortly before 7.30am. But O’Malia instead “accelerated away, showing no signs of stopping”, reaching speeds of up to 68mph in the 30mph zone.
His vehicle crashed into a taxi at the Rocket, causing damage but leaving the driver and passenger uninjured, then reversed away and almost collided with the police car before continuing onto the M62. O’Malia went on to travel at up to 100mph and drove along the hard shoulder of the motorway, later joining the M6 southbound then exiting at Warrington, where he ultimately pulled into a layby and was arrested at 8.10am.
Before he did so, O’Malia was said to have ran red lights, driven at 90mph in a 40mph zone, lost control on corners and mounted grass verges, overtaken a horsebox on a country lane, travelled on the wrong side of the road, collided with traffic cones in a roadworks area and avoided the deployment of a stinger by officers. PCs also rammed the car in an attempt to bring the pursuit to a close, with the police helicopter also having been called out as a result.
O’Malia’s girlfriend’s friend later told police she “felt like the car was going to flip over” due to the car taking corners at such speed, leaving her “screaming for him to stop and let her out” and causing her to have a panic attack as she “believed his driving was going to kill her”. He went on to remark after being detained: “I just panicked, I’m sorry officers.”
Having been taken into custody, O’Malia was found to have 57 micrograms of alcohol in his system per 100ml of breath, the legal limit being 35 micrograms. Under interview he accepted having driven dangerously while under the influence but said he “felt fine to drive at the time.”
O’Malia has eight previous convictions for 12 offences, including appearances for failing to stop after an accident in 2010 and drink driving in 2020. He was also handed a community order for harassment in February 2025.
Ian Morris, defending, told the court: “Mr O’Malia is conscious of how extremely serious this matter is. While he has some prior convictions, they do not really compare in nature or seriousness with this case. Mr O’Malia has been at something of a loss from the outset to explain his behaviour.
“He had been asked by his girlfriend, who was with her friend in Liverpool and had been on night out. It would appear that there was no more money left. Mr O’Malia’s concern was that they get home safely rather than finding other ways home to the Wigan area. He had had a drink already and took a risk. He cannot explain the protracted nature of the driving above and beyond panic.”
Mr Morris detailed how his client had been diagnosed with a personality disorder and post traumatic stress disorder following a “protracted period of abuse by his mother” as a child, adding: “He had to be brought up by his grandparents from the age of three. It was a turbulent relationship, to say the least. Mr O’Malia has effectively carried the burden of that throughout his adulthood.
“His mother took her own life when Mr O’Malia was 25. That has not assisted him in dealing with all of those issues. It may not be a coincidence that he has made some bad decisions under pressure.
“The vast majority of his life has been spent assisting the community. He has worked since school and has two businesses. He is a utilities contractor based in Wigan, but, until the loss of his licence, he has provided his services all over the country in excavations and the like.
“Also, he has a dog training business, and he required the income from both sources to work day and night to pay the bills. He had a mortgage with arrears and was working all hours God sent to try and pay those off. It is quite clear that there has been a toll in relation to a build up of stress.
“He is deeply sorry for what he has done. He does not need to have it pointed out to him what the potential consequences were. His girlfriend was in the car with him and she is with him today, because she understands a lot about his past and what he has been through. But she still sees the good in him. She was as much a fearful passenger as her friend.
“Things could have turned out very differently that day, and it is fortunate that they did not. But this is not the norm for Mr O’Malia. It was something of a freakish incident that he could have brought to a head a lot earlier. This is a man who was under all kinds of stresses at the time.”
O’Malia admitted dangerous driving and drink driving. Appearing in the dock wearing a Burberry shirt, he waved goodbye to his girlfriend in the public gallery as he was led to the cells after being jailed for 18 months.
Sentencing, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said: “You showed no sign whatsoever of stopping. What followed was a pursuit lasting over 40 minutes which was truly outrageous, covering a route from Edge Lane in Liverpool through Merseyside and into Cheshire, taking in the M62, the M6, the A500 and numerous residential and rural roads.
“Throughout all of this, you had your two passengers in the car. This was not momentary, misguided driving. This was quite deliberate driving, pursued by police cars and a helicopter at one point.”
Judge Menary added of his partner’s friend: “Her words speak clearly about the level of terror that she suffered, believing the car was going to flip over on corners at the time. She felt that your driving was going to kill her and she considered jumping out of the car to save her life but calculated that, with the speeds you were driving at, even that would have killed her.
“You eventually pulled into a layby and stopped. The smell of intoxicants from you was described as overwhelming.
“You are plainly someone who is industrious and works very hard in order to meet your financial commitments, which have all been a struggle, and the level of your work has no doubt contributed to levels of stress and your mental health. However, none of that properly explains why, for 40 odd minutes, you drove like a maniac on the roads of Merseyside and Cheshire.
“It could only have been worse if you had caused very significant injury to somebody. It is, frankly, a miracle that nobody was seriously harmed. The nature of the driving and extent of it could hardly have been more serious.
“This was an exceptionally serious piece of dangerous driving. I am satisfied, I am afraid, that only immediate custody is appropriate, given the very serious nature of the driving in this case.”
O’Malia was also banned from driving for a total of five years and eight months. He will be required to pass an extended retest before he is allowed back on the roads.