Elliott Fiteni (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 3 minutes ago
A 24-year-old man already banned from driving has been locked up for 14 months after leading officers on a high-speed pursuit through south Wales in darkness and heavy rain – before escaping custody and being discovered hiding inside a commercial waste bin.
Elliott Fiteni, of Claverton Way, Pontprennau, Cardiff, appeared at Newport Crown Court having previously admitted dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving with no insurance, causing criminal damage, and escaping from lawful custody.
The pursuit
Newport Crown Court heard that on Saturday, April 11, Fiteni was behind the wheel of a blue Volvo heading south along the A470 between Abercynon and Pontypridd when he switched lanes, appearing to react after noticing police nearby.
An officer flashed their headlights but Fiteni refused to pull over, sparking a pursuit in wet and dark conditions with standing water across sections of the road.
Prosecution barrister Salli Harmes told the court that during the chase, Fiteni reached 107mph in a 50mph zone and 90mph where the speed limit was 30mph. At one stage he lost control of the vehicle while aquaplaning.
A stinger device was deployed in an effort to bring the Volvo to a stop but proved unsuccessful. After leaving the A470 and joining the A468, Fiteni was observed driving on the wrong side of the road. A second police vehicle joined from the opposite carriageway to try to get ahead of him, and a police helicopter was also called in to help track his movements.
‘The biggest criminal in Wales’
Officers eventually brought the vehicle to a halt, but Fiteni leapt from the car and ran into a nearby garden. He was pursued on foot and caught by an officer.
Asked to confirm whether he was Elliott Fiteni, he initially told police: “I’ve never heard of him.”
When pressed again, he responded: “You know my name, Ellott Fiteni, the biggest criminal in Wales. And what? And what? F*** you.”
Fiteni then told officers he had swallowed a bag of ketamine and was transported to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. Once there, he fled again towards Gabalfa roundabout. Police spent around an hour searching before finally discovering him concealed inside a Biffa bin – still handcuffed.
Damage at a Cardiff shop
In a separate incident weeks earlier, on Friday, February 27, Fiteni had entered the One Stop store on Broadway in Cardiff accompanied by a woman. After selecting items, he handed a £20 note over at the till which staff suspected was counterfeit. They checked it using a device and confirmed their suspicions.
When told the note was fake, Fiteni demanded it back but the store refused to return it. He began shouting and hurling confectionery and bottles of alcohol to the floor, smashing glass and causing roughly £300 worth of damage. The pair left before police arrived.
Sentencing
The court heard Fiteni had 20 previous convictions. He also entered a new guilty plea to escaping from lawful custody at the hearing.
Defence barrister Josh Scouller described his client’s behaviour as “juvenile.” Addressing the shop incident, he said Fiteni had been “concerned having £20 removed from him without having time to accept himself” that the note was counterfeit. He characterised the escape from custody as “short, unplanned and unsophisticated.”
Judge Daniel Williams sentenced Fiteni to 14 months’ imprisonment, describing the pursuit as a “deliberately prolonged and highly dangerous course of driving.”
Fiteni was also disqualified from driving for two years and seven months and must pass an extended driving test before being permitted to return to the road.
