POLICE have released bodycam footage recorded by an officer as he discovered the wreckage of a car which crashed following a high speed chase.
The video shows the extent of damage caused to a Vauxhall Astra, and shows the airbags were activated, when it was crashed into a tree by a disqualifed driver, who then tried to escape arrest by hiding in some bushes.
Durham police has today released the footage after the driver Andrew Welsh, of Hall Lane Estate, Willington, was jailed on Friday.
Welsh had led officers on a pursuit around Willington and Waterhouses on May 25 in a stolen Vauxhall Astra before colliding with a tree on Button’s Bank, near Waterhouses.
The 30-year-old fled the scene but was found by a police dog handler in some nearby bushes.
He admitted a string of motoring and theft offences and was jailed for two years, and was banned from driving for a further three years.
Detective Sergeant Sarah Hindmarsh, from Durham Crime Team, said: “Welsh’s driving was extremely dangerous. He could have very easily injured or killed someone, but thankfully no one was injured as a result of the incident.
“As a disqualified driver, he has shown a complete disregard for the law as he should never have been behind the wheel of a car in the first place.
“I am pleased he is now off the streets and behind bars.”
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