A man was “spooked” by police officers in a McDonald’s car park after a night out on Mathew Street.
Leroy Parris sped away at the sight of PCs, despite them having made no attempt to pull him over. Once he was eventually arrested after driving on the pavement and running a red light, he was “ironically” found to be under the drink driving limit.
Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that police patrols spotted the 40-year-old’s 68-plate Mercedes A180 travelling on Water Street in Liverpool city centre at around 4am on April 23 last year. Parris was then followed onto the Strand by the carrier van, after which he turned left onto Blundell Street and then into McDonald’s.
READ MORE: Man ‘wanted police to kill him’ during Showcase Cinema shooting
READ MORE: Dad’s collection of Rolexes and designer clothes seized as true identity revealed
Emily Land, prosecuting, described how he went on to complete a lap of the car park before “driving off at high speed in what appeared to be an attempt to evade the police”. The dad subsequently continued onto Jamaica Street, heading in the direction of Parliament Street before mounting the pavement as he drove along Brick Street towards St James Street.
Officers then lost sight of the vehicle, Parris having also ran a red light as he made his escape. His car was subsequently located on Boyton Court in Wavertree, with a sniffer dog helping to trace him to his home on nearby Earle Road.
Following his arrest, he admitted he had been the driver having been “out on Mathew Street”. He gave no comment to detectives under interview.
Parris has 23 prior convictions for 38 offences, but none since 2018. The ECHO previously reported in 2014 how he had been jailed for six years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
The same court heard on this occasion that armed police shot the tyres of the then 30-year-old 4×4 during an incident on October 30 2013 after he had tried ram an officer’s car. Parris had to be tasered before he was eventually detained.
It came after he was seen carrying a Clarins bag from his then home on North Hill Street in Toxteth and driving away in his BMW and heading to the home of his friend and co-defendant Darren Conroy, 36, on Granby Street. The two men then left for a scrapyard without the bag, which was subsequently found to contain heroin with a street value of nearly £80,000.
Ken Heckle, defending, told the court today that his client was below the legal limit for alcohol when breathalysed following his latest brush with the law and had been driving “perfectly legally” beforehand. He added: “It is a unique dangerous driving case, in the sense that in most cases the police initially go to stop somebody because there is something wrong with their car or they have driven badly or they are wanted.
“None of those things occurred in this case. From start to finish, no blue light or klaxon was used. It is somewhat bizarre. It is perhaps his past that they were interested in.
“He goes into McDonald’s and drives very foolishly. He wanted to go somewhere very public. He was anticipating that he would be flashed and stopped in the McDonald’s car park. That did not happen, and he just carried on.
“He was a bit spooked by that. The whole thing was over in a matter of seconds.
“He knew he had had a couple of drinks, but he was a bit confused as to why they wanted to follow him and stop him and why they didn’t do that. He accepts that he has made this poor decision, but then he stops close to where he lives and walks home.
“It is as simple and plain as that. He did not actually fail to stop, because they never actually flashed him or made a request for him to stop. That was a foolish mistake for him to make. I accept that he has a serious criminal record, but not for this type of offence.
“He has been out of trouble since 2018. He was putting a bad record behind him.”
Parris admitted dangerous driving. He was handed an 18-month community order with 100 hours of unpaid work and a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 25 days, as well as being told to complete a thinking skills programme.
Sentencing, Recorder Peter Cowan said: “There is a vibrant nightlife in Liverpool. Pedestrians were around. You chose to drive onto the pavement. You chose to overtake cars in a dangerous manner and drive through a red light.
“Why did you do that? You had seen the police vehicle and had a guilty conscious, because you had had something to drink. Ironically, you were not over the limit for drink driving. You made the foolish and rash decision to drive away.
“No injury or damage was caused, more by luck than judgement. When you drive like this, you take a risk that you could kill somebody.
“You seem to have engaged in some fairly serious criminality, for which you have been punished. Rest assured, I am not going to sentence you on your record. I am impressed by the fact that your last conviction was back in 2018. Now you have reached your 40s, you may be finally mature enough to keep out of trouble.
“I do accept that you feel remorse for what you have done and recognise that this is something that should not have happened. I am giving you a chance.
“I hope you will take that chance. Please let this case be the last time you turn up in the dock of a crown court.”
Parris was also banned from driving for a year. He must pass an extended driving test before he will be allowed behind the wheel again.
Don’t miss the biggest and breaking stories by signing up to the Echo Daily newsletter here
Robert Johnson is a UK-based business writer specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. With an eye for market trends and a keen interest in the corporate world, he offers readers valuable insights into business developments.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25454244/Screenshot_2024_05_18_at_12.02.42_PM.png)
