Overview
- Shaun Orchard stole his stepfather’s Mercedes after drinking and taking cocaine and then led police on a prolonged, erratic chase that reached speeds of up to 120mph before he ran a red light and collided with a pursuing tactical pursuit officer’s car.
- The collision, which occurred on April 22 last year during the Stockport pursuit, sent the officer’s vehicle into a building and left PC Rushton with fractured ribs, a complex ankle break, a fractured arm, a ruptured bladder that caused an internal hernia, and ongoing intrusive thoughts and flashbacks.
- Forensic evidence presented at Minshull Street Crown Court showed Orchard had 112 mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood and 216 µg of benzoylecgonine per 100ml, levels that exceed legal limits for drink and drug driving.
- Orchard pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking and causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was sentenced to three years and two months in prison with a five-and-a-half-year driving ban after Judge Kevin Slack said the driving was a prolonged, deliberate course while highly impaired.
- Greater Manchester Police described the pursuit as extremely dangerous, noted Orchard held only a provisional licence, and said the case underscores risks to the public and officers that could prompt renewed scrutiny of pursuit policies and training.