Man jailed following pursuit in Bolton

A man who stripped naked and jumped in a bath in an attempt to deceive police following a high-speed pursuit has been jailed.

Ryan Stephen Hall (14/01/1995) of Tabley Road, was sentenced at Bolton Court on Wednesday 15 December to six years and 11 months in total for dangerous driving, handling stolen goods, driving while disqualified and driving without a licence.

During a routine patrol in Bolton on Tuesday 23 November 2021 at around 11.25pm police spotted a suspected stolen red Nissan Quashqai with cloned number plates.

The court heard how the police officers attempted to follow the vehicle which began to drive at speed in an attempt to flee.

Over the next seven minutes, the vehicle drove dangerously at speed, driving on the wrong side of the road and driving through red lights.

The driver eventually fled from the vehicle after police boxed him in.

Hall attempted to flee on foot and ran into a nearby house. While inside, he had stripped naked and jumped into a bath in an effort to deceive police. Officers stormed into the house and arrested the naked driver.

The Nissan Quashqai was later identified as stolen from Hillside Drive in Salford on Friday 1st October 2021.

Police Constable Richard Holland, of GMP's Roads Policing Unit, said: "Hall showed a blatant disregard for others by driving recklessly across the roads of Greater Manchester.

"He then attempted to mislead police by jumping into a bath and pretending like nothing had even happened.

"Hall's actions could have had much more tragic consequences had officers not taken the measures to stop him.

"We are continuing to fight back against criminals involved in car crime and I hope this sends a clear message that we are committed stop those we believe to be responsible."