A driver who claimed that he was unable to stop his electric car on a busy motorway has been sentenced to jail after pleading guilty to fraud and dangerous driving.
Nathan Owen has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison after pleading guilty at Liverpool Crown Court after the incident in March 2024.
The 33-year-old was travelling from Ormskirk along the eastbound carriageway of the M58 toward his then-home in Bolton, before calling 999 when heading towards Liverpool.
He claimed that he couldn’t stop his electric Jaguar I-Pace after it “malfunctioned”, meaning it continued to accelerate and he could not brake.
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However, Liverpool Crown Court heard that his car was actually stationary on the roundabout at the end of the M58 just 30 seconds before he made the call to police.
He continued his journey from M58 to Switch Island, onto the M57, then onto the M62, before coming to a stop close to J12 at Birchwood.
Merseyside Police and Jaguar Land Rover worked together to investigate the incident, which found that the car was functioning correctly and Mr Owen was always in control of the vehicle.
Data from the vehicle showed that the driver failed to press the brakes at any time, even when telling the 999-operator that he was trying.
The court heard that the Jaguar collided with a police car 31 times as officers attempted to halt the vehicle, although the police reported that the car only stopped when it ran out of battery.
Mr Owen was arrested on March 13, 2024, and denied making up the claim. The court heard that he was in “financial difficulties” and was in arrears with a finance company.
Eric Lamb, who was prosecuting, said: “He had fabricated the events in order to enable him to get rid of the vehicle.
“He had full control of the vehicle, and with full control of the vehicle, he travelled at excessive and extreme speeds.”
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Mr Owen called the finance company less than an hour after the incident, the Telegraph reported, prompting two counts of fraud and dangerous driving.
The court also heard that Jaguar Land Rover had been forced to invest £50million in marketing costs to counter the adverse publicity following the claims.
Mr Owen, of Prestatyn, North Wales, was ultimately sentenced to four years and three months in prison, while also being disqualified from driving for five years.
Roads Policing investigator, Detective Constable Michael Doyle said: “This was a lengthy and complex investigation during which we [were] able to disprove Owen’s claims that his vehicle was faulty.
“It was clear from our investigations that he was in full control of his vehicle throughout the duration of the incident.”
DC Doyle added that Mr Owen had put lives at risk on the road, but also endangered workers on the hard shoulder of the motorway.
A Jaguar spokesperson told GB News: “JLR provided technical support to assist the police investigation, which found no evidence of any vehicle-related defect contributing to the incident.
“We would like to thank the authorities for their work investigating this case.”
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