A car thief who ploughed through a fence and on to an airport runway, forcing a passenger plane to circle above as its fuel levels ran low, has been jailed.
Matthew Dobson was sentenced to three years and eight months at Grimsby Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to burglary, driving offenses and a charge of recklessly endangering an aircraft.
The court heard how his "bizarre" crime spree began in August, when he stole the keys to a Renault Clio from a house in Grimsby and drove off, leaving the car's owner locked in her property.
He then led police on a high-speed chase through peak-hour traffic towards Humberside Airport, where he crashed through mesh fencing and on to the runway.
A KLM passenger flight that was due to land was forced to circle 20 miles from the airport.
It was eventually allowed to land at Humberside with just seven minutes left before it would have had to divert to another airport.
The airport was put on high alert, implementing the same protocol as a terrorist attack, and was forced to stop all aircraft taking off and landing there on August 5 this year.
Back on the ground, Dobson, 40, from Grimsby, drove down the main runway at speeds of about 80mph before coming to rest in a field.
There he abandoned the car and lay in the grass in a bid to hide himself, prosecutors said. When challenged, Dobson claimed to be a farmer.
Dobson was high on amphetamine when he stole the car from Marilyn Todd, 62, of Grimsby, in the early hours of the morning, the court heard
Police spotted Dobson and chased him through the town, but lost him.
He was next spotted by security officer Amanda Downing at a checkpoint near where aircraft are boarded, loaded and refuelled.
He was repeatedly sounding the car's horn and shouting to be let through.
Jeremy Evans, prosecuting, said: “He was described as agitated and at first the security officer believed he could have been the owner of a dog that had been observed on the airfield earlier that morning.
“The defendant was told he was not allowed access but before he could be engaged in further conversation he began reversing the vehicle.
“Amanda Downing believed the defendant was about to turn his vehicle around, however, she heard the revving of the engine and saw that he was driving towards the gatehouse.
“The defendant had proceeded to drive through the metal mesh fencing at the side of the gatehouse and onto the apron before accessing the runway.”
He was then seen hurtling towards the runway and the alarm was raised by air traffic control.
Dobson drove the car at 60mph, with his hazard lights flashing, across the apron and towards an offshore helicopter that was taking off.
The helicopter, which was carrying 11 passengers, was 30 feet from the ground, with its nose pointing downwards, preparing to accelerate forwards.
Dobson drove the car underneath the helicopter, which was traveling in the same direction.
He then sped down the full length of the runway, before driving off the end, crashing through a fence, hitting a bank and flying through the air. The car came to a rest in a field.
Mr Evans said: “The defendant drove the vehicle at approximately 80mph along the main runway.
“He continued to drive off the runway and the vehicle left the ground before coming to a rest in a field.
“The defendant ran from the vehicle and was later found lying down in the grass in a futile attempt to conceal himself.
"(He) initially denied any knowledge of the presence of a car and stated he was a farmer.
“He appeared agitated and under the influence of intoxicant.”
Katya Saudek, defending, described it as an "unusual and bizarre" case which happened after his life "spiraled out of control".
Sentencing Dobson, Recorder Andrew Dallas said: "In short, you caused a highly dangerous situation which could have been catastrophic in a number of different ways."
- Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk
Matthew Dobson was jailed for three years and eight months at Grimsby Crown Court today after pleading guilty to burglary, driving offenses and a charge of recklessly endangering an aircraft.
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