A speeding motorist slammed into a pursuing police car while passengers filmed the chase for TikTok and lobbed tools and a stolen tractor battery at officers.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how the Land Rover with stuck-on fake plates led police on a dangerous 30-mile chase through Perthshire and Angus.
At one point, the Freelander came to a sudden halt before reversing at top speed into the police vehicle behind.
The impact blew out at the Land Rover’s back window, through which occupants Brandon Williams, 22, and Dylan Adams, 18, fired a series of missiles including the battery, a crow bar and a box.
The chase, which began on the A93 in east Perthshire, ended about 45 minutes later when a police stinger punctured the Land Rover’s tyres on the A928 near Glamis.
Third passenger Kane McDonald, 26, and a fourth man escaped on foot into a field.
McDonald was found hiding behind a trailer at a nearby farmhouse.
The fourth man, who McDonald claimed was the driver, was never traced.
Williams and Adams pled guilty to culpably and recklessly throwing items at the police car, to the danger of officers.
All three further admitted a charge of reset in connection with the tractor battery, which was later returned to its owner in Glenshee.
McDonald, of Armor Place Court, Dundee, went on trial accused of driving the Land Rover dangerously, at excessive speeds and failing to stop for officers.
It was further alleged McDonald, a provisional licence holder, drove while uninsured, with no MOT certificate and no L-plates.
He denied he was the driver and insisted he was “scared” and “holding on for dear life” in the front passenger seat.
McDonald was acquitted after a jury found all charges against him not proven.
High-speed pursuit
Fiscal Lora Apostalova said the pursuit began just after 9pm on December 30 2020, when police officers Connor McRae and Peter Milne were tasked with searching for a Land Rover “acting suspiciously” in the Glenshee area.
Blairgowrie-based PC McRae told the trial the car was spotted driving south on the A93, towards Bridge of Cally.
“It appeared to be going at quite a high speed,” he said. “We stopped, turned around and tried to catch up with it.
“But it was lost to sight. It either turned off the road, or pulled over and put its lights off.”
The officers saw the car again on the B951 junction. They activated blue lights and sirens.
PC McRae, 27, said the driver of the Land Rover slammed on the brakes.
“At that moment, we assumed they were stopping for us.
“That was before we saw the reverse light come on.”
The officer said: “They pressed the accelerator harshly and reversed into us, as fast as the vehicle could go.”
The impact shattered the Land Rover’s back window, giving PC McRae a “clear” view of the four men inside.
During the trial, both police officers identified McDonald as the driver.
Chase continued on foot
The court heard the Land Rover sped off again and was chased down country roads into Kirriemuir, along Lindsay Street and towards Glamis.
PC McRae described the driving as “erratic.”
He said: “It was completely ignoring road junctions, driving at high speeds and driving close to other cars.”
The Land Rover skidded to a halt after driving over the police stinger on the A928.
Adams and Williams were stuck in the car, but McDonald and the driver darted into a nearby field.
McDonald was followed on foot by PC Milne.
“There was a farmhouse about 100m away,” the officer said.
“I found him there, hiding behind a trailer.”
Asked by defence agent Anika Jethwa if he had asked McDonald who the driver was, PC Milne replied: “No. I knew who the driver was.”
The court heard a false number plate had been sellotaped to the front of the Land Rover. Its true registration number was hidden underneath.
Denied he was driver
McDonald insisted that he was not the driver, naming another man.
He told jurors the man who was at the wheel also ran off into the field but was not traced by police.
McDonald said he was “scared” during the chase and asked the driver to slow down.
“He wasn’t listening to me.
“I was holding on for dear life.
“The car was on two wheels when it was going round corners.”
The court heard he had been unable to find the footage of the chase, filmed by back-seat passenger Adams, on TikTok.
Adams, of Megginch Gardens, Dundee, told the trial McDonald wasn’t the driver but was reluctant to say who was.
Williams, of Helmsdale Place, Dundee, did not attend court because he was unwell.
Jail warning
Sheriff William Wood told Adams and McDonald: “Clearly, these remain serious offences, notwithstanding Mr McDonald’s acquittal for the matter which went to trial.
“Prison is certainly in my contemplation.
“I’m not saying that will happen, but in order to open that particular door I need to have background reports.”
Sentence was deferred until next month.
In April last year, McDonald was fined and banned from driving for 27 months after he admitted putting youths at risk during a high-speed pursuit through rural Angus.
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