A CONVICTED car-jacker has been jailed again after leading police on a 60mph car chase before crashing and hiding in a bush.

Dale Ratcliffe was more than twice over the drink drive limit after downing cans of lager at a family party, and got behind the wheel in order to buy more alcohol.

The 31-year-old sparked an eight-and-a-half-mile pursuit around the streets of Culcheth after nearly crashing into a police car.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Tuesday, July 23, that an officer was driving along Warrington Road in Glazebury at around 10pm on Saturday, June 8, when he became aware of a silver Ford Mondeo ‘bearing down on him’ in his rear-view mirror.

Ratcliffe, of Severn Road in Culcheth, was driving the car at high speed so close to the police car that the officer could not see his number plate, the dad-of-two having already ‘dazzled’ the copper due to his headlights being on full beam.

He then overtook the police car on a bend at 60mph in a 30mph zone, nearly crashing into the vehicle.

A chase then ensued, with Ratcliffe being tailed along Shaw Street, Church Lane, Avon Road, Thames Road – where he was clocked at 60mph in a 20mph zone – and Newchurch Lane, before he re-joined Warrington Road and headed back towards the village.

After turning onto Lansdowne and Glebeland, he came close to colliding with parked cars – swerving and nearly crashing.

Ratcliffe then carried onto Jackson Avenue and Wigshaw Lane before entering the car park of Culcheth Linear Park, where he crashed into concrete curb stones.

He got out of his car and hid in a bush, but was then arrested.

The court heard that the defendant had drunk four cans of San Miguel at the party before driving, and upon seeing the police car ‘knew he was over the limit and panicked’.

Ratcliffe formerly ran his own business, Grave Oak Bespoke Fencing, but the company was dissolved in May last year due to issues with alcoholism.

Defence barrister Lloyd Morgan told the court: “This was an extended period of driving brought about by what might have started as a momentary period of panic – he knew he was over the limit and made the stupid decision to continue to drive, and to drive badly.

“This defendant has struggled with alcohol for a couple of years.

“He had been employed for around 10 years before he branched out on his own into self-employment in 2016, but running a business and the responsibility that went with it overwhelmed him – and he turned to alcohol as a form of release.

“Of course, that’s never the answer and it cost him his business.”

Ratcliffe was previously jailed for 32 months for robbery at the age of 18, having hijacked two cars and attempted to steal another two in 2007 – with the attacks being carried out at traffic lights when he was armed with a baseball bat and a crowbar.

He admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop for a police officer and drink driving during an earlier hearing at Warrington Magistrates Court.

And judge Stuart Driver jailed Ratcliffe for six months.

Sentencing, judge Driver said: “You chose to drive away from the police, causing a dangerous pursuit to take place.

“That ended with your vehicle being crashed after a long chase, with persistent and really bad driving at high speed throughout.

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“You repeatedly drove on the wrong side of the road around bends when you had no idea who or what was coming in the opposite direction.

“It was very dangerous driving over a long distance, and it is by pure good luck that nobody was seriously injured or killed.

“Your criminal record doesn’t help you, but you have attempted to rehabilitate yourself and made genuine efforts to tackle your alcohol problem.

“But in my judgement, this was such a dangerous offence that appropriate punishment can only be achieved by immediate custody.”

Ratcliffe will serve half of his sentence before being released on licence.

He was also banned from driving for two years and three months and told to pay a victim surcharge.