Man jailed after high-speed chase through Chester

A man who led police on a dangerous high-speed pursuit through Chester before abandoning his vehicle has been jailed.

Christopher Foster, 34, of Longlands Lane, Market Drayton, appeared at Chester Crown Court earlier this month.

He was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to several offences, including dangerous driving, drug driving, driving without insurance, and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

The incident unfolded at 12:15 pm on 4 March 2023, when an officer in a marked police vehicle attempted to stop Foster’s silver Vauxhall Astra on the A41 in Rowton, Chester.

Initially, the Astra indicated it was pulling into a bus stop, but as the officer followed, the car sped away.

Foster’s driving became increasingly erratic as he veered onto the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic, mounted a kerb and drove along a cycle path, and ran through two sets of red traffic lights in heavy traffic.

The pursuit came to a halt when officers lost sight of the vehicle.

However, shortly afterwards, a member of the public reported an abandoned car matching the Astra’s description in Hoole, Chester. Foster, who matched the driver’s description, was located nearby and arrested.

Tests later revealed he was driving with a cannabis level over three times the legal limit.

In addition to his two-year custodial sentence, Foster has been disqualified from driving for 45 months.

A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said:

“Foster could easily have seriously injured himself or innocent members of the public with his erratic and dangerous driving, constantly driving into oncoming traffic and even mounting pavements. It is a miracle that he did not cause a serious collision.

“And this was all in vain. Despite Foster trying everything he could think of to evade our officers, he was located the very same day and swiftly arrested.

“This should serve as a reminder that we will do everything in our power to bring people to justice. If you commit a crime on Cheshire’s roads there really is nowhere to hide.”