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Jail for 180mph M6 chase driver Ben Westwood Jail for 180mph M6 chase driver Ben Westwood
(40 minutes later)
A man caught doing 180mph in a police chase on the M6 in the West Midlands has been jailed for nine years.A man caught doing 180mph in a police chase on the M6 in the West Midlands has been jailed for nine years.
Ben Westwood, of Woden Road, Wednesfield, is thought to be the fastest driver to be caught in the UK.Ben Westwood, of Woden Road, Wednesfield, is thought to be the fastest driver to be caught in the UK.
Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how during the 65-mile chase in January Westwood, 33, almost outpaced the police helicopter, in a stolen car.Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how during the 65-mile chase in January Westwood, 33, almost outpaced the police helicopter, in a stolen car.
Westwood was found guilty of dangerous driving and conspiracy to burgle and steal earlier this month.Westwood was found guilty of dangerous driving and conspiracy to burgle and steal earlier this month.
The court heard how the modified Audi RS5 had been previously stolen from Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire. The court heard how the modified Audi RS5, worth £85,000, was stolen from Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire.
Police said the car was then linked to 16 raids across Staffordshire, Shropshire and the West Midlands, including incidents at a bowling alley and a jewellers.Police said the car was then linked to 16 raids across Staffordshire, Shropshire and the West Midlands, including incidents at a bowling alley and a jewellers.
The raids took place between August 2011 and January 2012.The raids took place between August 2011 and January 2012.
Sparks seenSparks seen
The chase took place after a raid on a petrol station. The chase on 13 January took place after a raid on the Murco petrol station in Warstones Road, Wolverhampton.
In footage recorded from the police helicopter during the incident, sparks were seen coming from underneath the car because of the speed at which it was going. Westwood headed towards the M6 and joined the motorway, where he headed north up to junction 13 at Stafford before turning around and then heading southbound back down the motorway.
Officers in the helicopter can be heard talking in the footage, describing how Westwood tried to avoid a sting trap set down by police on a sliproad on to the motorway. In footage recorded from the police helicopter, sparks were seen coming from underneath the car because of the speed at which it was going.
They can then be heard describing how he turned around the car, driving it the wrong way up the sliproad before joining the main carriageway of the M6 at Wolverhampton. The footage from the helicopter shows how Westwood tried to avoid a sting trap set down by police on the sliproad at junction 12.
He can then be seen doing a U-turn, driving the car the wrong way up the sliproad before joining the main carriageway again.
Westwood abandoned the car at a block of flats in Pickering Road, Wednesfield, where police dogs tracked him into some flats and he was arrested.
Supt Richard Baker said Westwood had shown "a blatant disregard for other road users".
He added: "Video footage from the helicopter estimates speeds of up to 180mph on the M6 as he attempted to evade capture."