Dangerous driver gave himself up after police used drone to catch him

Police have released a video of how they used a drone to catch a dangerous driver who fled after almost crashing into traffic on the opposite carriageway.

Liam Ainslie, of Wingate, County Durham, gave himself up once he realised the police had sent up a drone and there was no escape, having tried to flee across fields last July, Durham Police said.

Ainslie had been spotted driving a stolen Citroen near Castle Eden and was pursued by traffic officers.

Trying to escape, he reached speeds of more than 130mph on the A19 before he lost control and mounted the grass verge while trying to turn, almost crashing into cars coming in the opposite direction.

Ainslie jumped out of the crashed vehicle and tried to hide in fields but got only around 500m away when he heard the drone and gave himself up.

In footage captured by the police and shared on their Facebook page, Ainslie told arresting officers: “I heard the buzzing and thought there’s no point.”

At Durham Crown Court last week, the 35-year-old was found guilty of aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, driving without a licence, and driving without insurance, and was given a 12-month prison sentence, Durham Police said.

A second man in his 20s was also arrested in connection with the incident but faced no further action.