Watch: Havant joy rider Soloman Biddle jailed after high-speed chase that put children’s lives at risk before police took drastic action

Havant menace Soloman Biddle, 37, was pulled from the smashed window of a stolen Citroen by two police cars which crashed into him to block him off after he went the wrong way across a roundabout in heavy traffic at the junction of Havant Road and North Street, at the entry point to Emsworth.

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Portsmouth Crown Court heard how Biddle, who has 100 previous offences to his name, had gone through red lights while travelling at a ‘frightening’ pace after blue light police chased him from the A27 on January 26. The danger driver’s recklessness saw him motoring at 80mph in a 30mph road past a school - with ‘shocked’ parents forced to pull back from crossing the road.

Biddle, of Lockerley Road, was even able to navigate spikes put down in the road as police desperately hunted down the thief. ‘The tyres did not puncture and police pursued him with blue lights with him at one point travelling at 80mph in a 30mph road with heavy traffic and pedestrians and schoolchildren as it was the end of the school day,’ prosecutor Holly Fagan said.

‘There were serious concerns about the car. Fortunately no one stepped in the road. One mum had to pull her child back. There was shock on people’s faces.’

The pursuit, played to the court, was finally brought to a close with no-one seriously injured after Biddle was cornered by quick-thinking police having gone the wrong way across the North Street junction roundabout. One police car followed Biddle the wrong way round while the second car blocked his escape after coming from the other side of the roundabout. ‘The Citroen was pinned against the roundabout and Mr Biddle was removed through the broken window,’ Ms Fagan said. ‘There was a scuffle as they got him out.’

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One officer was left with grazes to his knee and bruises to his arm while another officer suffered a broken wrist and was in a cast for six weeks. The owner of the Citroen car was still without his car following the incident and was now ‘feeling more isolated’ and unable to get to hospital easily.

The court heard of other incidents by Biddle including when he took a Peugeot van from Bosham on October 13, 2021, before crashing into a Mini and Volkswagen on Castle Road, Waterlooville, which left the former car written off with over £2,000 damage.

Less than two months later on December 4, Biddle was seen scoping out parked cars in Itchen Abbas before breaking into a Tesla and stealing £260 worth of items that were due to be Christmas presents. Damage to the car cost £450 to repair.

Biddle admitted criminal damage, aggravated vehicle taking, theft from a motor vehicle, taking a car without consent, driving with no insurance, driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, failing to stop, assault of emergency worker, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possessing a Class B drug.

Recorder Benjamin Newton, jailed Biddle for 22 months and banned him from driving for five years 11 months. ‘You have an appalling record,’ the judge said.

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