MAN JAILED FOR FAKING CAR MALFUNCTION IN MOTORWAY PURSUIT

Nathan Owen has been jailed for four years and three months after driving his electric Jaguar at speeds of up to 86mph on motorways whilst falsely claiming the vehicle's brakes had failed. Owen, 33, from Prestatyn, North Wales, collided with police vehicles 31 times during the incident on 6 March 2024 after telephoning emergency services to report the car was accelerating uncontrollably. The pursuit lasted approximately 35 minutes across the M58, M57 and M62 in Merseyside, covering around 38 miles, before the Jaguar I-Pace came to a stop near junction 12 of the M62 when its battery was depleted.

Police investigations revealed the vehicle was functioning correctly and data showed Owen did not press the brakes at any point during the incident. Owen had entered a finance agreement for the Jaguar in September 2023 and was in arrears with approximately £5,000 outstanding by March 2024. On the day of the incident, he was denied a further loan from another company, Plata, and made the emergency call five minutes later. Judge Ian Unsworth KC said Owen had "set in train a course of conduct which caused a significant police traffic operation to be deployed, undoubted alarm to the public and very substantial loss and disruption to others", noting that police officers had placed themselves in danger believing they were responding to a genuine emergency.

Jaguar Land Rover UK stated it had spent an additional £50 million in marketing to counter publicity from the false allegations, which generated 180 pieces of adverse media coverage. The motorways were closed during the pursuit to protect other road users. Owen had devised the fabricated malfunction in an attempt to avoid paying his outstanding car finance.