WELLINGBOROUGH, UK — A banned driver who rammed two police cars and crashed into four other vehicles in a stolen SUV has been jailed for 16 months and handed an extended driving ban of three years and four months.
Danny Lee Stray, 37, of Sassoon Close, Wellingborough, was behind the wheel of a stolen grey Land Rover Discovery on cloned plates when it triggered ANPR cameras on February 2, 2025. The vehicle had been stolen from Bedfordshire in September 2024.
Northamptonshire Police’s Roads Policing Team tracked the SUV through town streets before attempting to stop it in Westfield Road. Trapped between two unmarked police cars, Stray rammed both vehicles, causing extensive damage, then mounted the pavement and smashed into four parked cars as he tried to escape.
He eventually wedged the SUV between a Ford Transit van and a garden wall before fleeing on foot. A short time later, Police Dog Pyper and her handler located Stray hiding in an outbuilding after a report of a man “garden hopping.”
Stray was arrested and charged with dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance, and failing to stop for officers. He later pleaded guilty to all but the last charge, which was withdrawn.
Appearing at Northampton Crown Court on April 1, Stray was sentenced to 16 months in prison and banned from driving until well into 2029, subject to passing an extended retest.
PC James Condon from the Roads Policing Team said Stray’s actions showed a “reckless and selfish outlook” and “total disregard for the courts.”
“Thankfully, no one was seriously injured,” Condon said. “But Stray’s actions had a real impact on others, causing financial hardship and reducing our ability to protect the public.”
In 2024 alone, 31 people lost their lives in collisions across Northamptonshire, with 243 others suffering life-changing injuries.
