A disqualified driver led police on a terrifying high-speed chase from Cardiff to the Vale of Glamorgan, ramming two police cars before crashing into a road sign 🚗💥
Niall Bright, 28, from Abercarn, Caerphilly, was spotted behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Polo at 3am on Monday, May 19, despite being banned from driving.
Cardiff Crown Court heard how Bright drove through a stinger device before speeding at 70mph in a 30mph zone, ignored a red light, and travelled on the wrong side of the road “coming close to other vehicles”.
Prosecutor Elin Morgan told the court: “There was a blatant disregard for the rules of the road. Two of the police cars were damaged.”
Four police cars were involved in boxing Bright in, with one officer suffering an injured shoulder after being rammed. A female passenger with Bright “was described as being shaken and unable to speak” following the collision.
The defendant, of no fixed abode, admitted dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, two counts of assaulting an emergency worker, failing to provide a specimen for analysis, possession of amphetamine and driving with no insurance.
These offences put him in breach of a suspended prison sentence imposed on April 4, 2024, for dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified. Bright has an extensive criminal record with 14 previous convictions for 35 offences, including dangerous driving convictions in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2021 and 2023.
Defence barrister Kevin Seal said his client’s mother had suffered a stroke at the time of his offending, adding: “He entered guilty pleas at the first opportunity and he bitterly regrets his actions.”
Judge Richard Kember told Bright: “The manner of your driving attracted the attention of the police and a stinger was deployed.”
Bright was jailed for 26 months and will serve half in custody before being released on licence. He received a five-year driving ban and must sit an extended retest, plus pay a statutory victim surcharge.
