A Hove joyrider was told today that he could be jailed after a high-speed chase that ended with a police car being damaged in Hangleton last month.
Trevor Howley, 40, was pursued up Mill Road, down King George VI Avenue, known locally as Snakey Hill, and along Goldstone Crescent.
The chase, on Monday 20 July, ended in Nevill Way with damage to the stolen blue Ford Focus Zetec and a Sussex Police car.
At Hove Crown Court today (Wednesday 19 August) Judge Martin Huseyin ordered pre-sentence reports before deciding whether to jail Howley.
Howley, of no fixed address, and formerly of Downland Crescent, Hove, pleaded guilty to stealing a car and driving it dangerously and without insurance.
A charge of failing to stop when directed by a police officer – a charge usually dealt with in the magistrates’ court – was discontinued.
Two passengers also pleaded guilty to their part. They were Tony Cooper, 28, of Downland Crescent, Hove, and Emily Cooper, also known as Emily Cox, 30, of Kingston Close, Hove.
Judge Huseyin ordered Tony Cooper to stay in prison until sentencing, saying: “He’s got a very bad driving record himself.”
The judge remanded Howley and Emily Cooper on bail to be sentenced on Friday 25 September.
In a separate case, a 26-year-old man, from Brighton, who was arrested after an earlier car chase through Hangleton and which ended in Downland Drive in April, remains under investigation.
