M5 police chase saw holidaymaker hit crazy speed of 127mph

Dean Mayo has been jailed for dangerous driving on the M5
Dean Mayo has been jailed for dangerous driving on the M5 -Credit:Devon & Cornwall Police


A driver took police on a dangerous chase down the M5 - hitting a speed of 127mph. Dean Mayo put his foot down when police asked him to pull over.

He drove on the hard shoulder at 80mph before joining the main road and powering beyond 100mph. Police eventually stopped him using a stinger near Cullompton.

Mayo, aged 28, told Exeter Crown Court the car belonged to a friend and he was using it to go on holiday to Cornwall. He admitted dangerous driving, having no insurance, failing to stop and driving while disqualified.

The defendant, of no fixed abode, was jailed for 16 months. The judge said his driving had been highly dangerous and risked the safety of other road users.

The incident happened on March 22. At about 10:30pm police identified a VW with cloned plates being driven south on the M5. Mayo ignored a request to stop near Junction 28 in Somerset and accelerated on the hard shoulder, undertaking traffic, before getting back on the main road.

He managed to continue driving even after the stinger had deflated his tyres but eventually stopped near Cullompton. He ran from the vehicle and through a hedge but was caught after a foot chase with officers.

It turned out that Mayo only had an expired provisional and was on licence from prison for another offence at the time. The car was not stolen but it was uninsured.

Mayo has 22 other offences on his record including two others for dangerous driving committed in 2015 and 2021.

Zoe Kuyken, defending, said Mayo is very sorry. "He was going down to Cornwall for a holiday," she said. Judge James Adkin disqualified Mayo for 32 months.