Walesby man tried to outrun cops in chase over farmland with cargo of diesel

A Rolls-Royce engineer who tried to outrun police by ploughing through fields and crashing into trees while carrying “dangerous” diesel was eventually found hiding in a swamp, a court heard.

Officers spotted Adam Wormald driving a Land Rover with what they believed was a fake number plate, on Retford Road, Walesby, on April 14, Mansfield Magistrates’ Court heard.

Lucy Woodcock, prosecuting, said Wormald refused to stop and led them on a chase over country roads and farm-land tracks in the Bevercotes area, before he crashed into woodland.

The police dog was used to track him to a swamp nearby where he denied all knowledge and made a no-comment interview.

Wormald, aged 29, has no previous convictions on his record whatsoever, said Ms Woodcock.

The court heard he caused £350 of damage to crops and there was no front registration plate on his vehicle.

Wormald, of Aspen Close, Walesby, admitted driving without due care and attention, failing to stop, criminal damage, and driving without insurance and with no front registration plate, while carrying dangerous goods.

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His solicitor said: "He is a very productive member of society and provides his family with a good income. He is ordinarily a very responsible man and someone you are unlikely to expect to appear before the courts.”

He said Wormald, a Rolls-Royce engineer earning just under £50,000 per year, was struggling financially and faced a 40-mile commute.

A friend offered to give him some diesel to save cash and lent him a Land Rover to collect the fuel.

When the police indicated for him to stop, he panicked and drove off, his solicitor told the court.

The solicitor said: “He was only driving at speeds of about 15mph. He denies there was a collision. He just abandoned the vehicle and decamped. He cooperated with the police. He regrets his actions bitterly.

"He was going through a break-up with his second partner. He realises this is a corner he shouldn’t have been trying to save money.”

He said the loss of his driving licence would cause his ex-partner “exceptional hardship”, as it would stop her from buying him out from his home.

Wormald was fined £960, ordered to pay £350 compensation, a £384 surcharge and £85 costs and nine penalty points were added to his licence.