Observe Mercedes driver take police on 90mph pursue through Manchester and Salford streets

Officers had only pulled him over because the lights on his Kompressor Coupe were off, but ‘frightened’ Michael Holdsworth put his foot down

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• 16:27, fourteen FEB 2017
• Updated 17:34, fourteen FEB 2017

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A prolific criminal led officers on a 25-minute high speed pursue because he said he was ‘frightened’ of police.

An armed response vehicle, two patrol cars and a helicopter were involved in the pursuit of Michael Holdsworth, 46.

Holdsworth was sober and driving his own car, which was fully insured and taxed, at the time the pursuit embarked.

Officers had only pulled him over to speak him because he was driving around at night with his lights off.

But, because of ‘previous experiences’ with officers, Holdsworth ‘panicked’ and put his foot down.

Manchester Crown Court heard the pursue took him from east Manchester to north Manchester, the city centre and then Salford , with sparks flying from the vehicle as he sped repeatedly over humps.

At one stage he narrowly missed colliding with a motorbike.

It took the 2nd of the two tyre-deflating ‘stinger’ devices – and a police dog – to get Holdsworth to stop.

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In scenes captured on police dashcam, the pursue even took Holdsworth past Strangeways prison. The footage shows that the pursuing police vehicle reached over 90mph at one point.

Sending him down for a year after he admitted dangerous driving, Judge Michael Leeming said: “You drove past HMP Manchester during the course of this pursuit, you will be going back there instantaneously.”

Prosecutor Simon Barrett told court that at Ten.30pm on October fourteen police in an armed response vehicle were driving along Ashton Old Road near Openshaw towards town when they witnessed a Mercedes Kompressor Coupe driven by Holdsworth going in the opposite direction without lights.

Police followed him to Alan Turing Way and pulled him over. But when an officer went to speak to Holdsworth he accelerated away. Over the next twenty five minutes he drove at high speed down side streets, through no entry signs, through traffic lights and junctions, and on the wrong side of the road.

“All the roads were 30mph but he reached speeds in excess of 70mph – sometimes going over humps at speed”, Mr Barrett added. “At one point the car bottomed and sparks could be seen coming from underneath the vehicle.

“At times police were not able to keep up, but they were able to locate his movements because of the assistance of the police helicopter.”

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At Cavendish Road, Salford, after the stinger was deployed, Holdsworth and his passenger fled the car, but a dog caught up with him on foot, causing injuries.

His sentencing hearing heard he had eighty six offences on his record – half of which were car crime-related. However his last dangerous driving conviction was fifteen years ago, and he been out of trouble since 2014.

Michael Blakey, defending, said Holdsworth was chronically ill with pancreatitis, adding: “The reason he drove in that way was scare – simply because of his practice with the police on previous occasions. It was a stupid thing to do.

“He is remorseful, regrets what he did and appreciative no-one was injured. He’s spent a excellent deal of time in prison and it’s dawned that he’s wasting his life, particularly because of his chronic illness.”

Jailing him for twelve months and disqualifying him from driving for three-and-a-half years, Judge Leeming said: “This was a prolonged and persistent display of bad driving over distance and time – you had no regard for the danger you posed to other road users or the risk of injury.”

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