A father-of-four raced past a marked police vehicle at 70mph in a 30mph zone while desperately trying to get home to break up a fight between his family's dogs, a court was told.
A Dangerous Rush Home
Daniel Langford, aged 34, was driving on Leek Road in Stoke-on-Trent in the early hours of September 17 when the incident occurred. The North Staffordshire Justice Centre heard that armed officers were travelling along the same road when Langford's vehicle overtook them at high speed.
Prosecutor Emma Thompson stated that the police activated their blue lights and gave chase. Langford continued his journey, reaching speeds of 70mph and going through a red traffic light. His route took him through the areas of Milton, Baddeley Green, and Norton before he arrived at his destination.
The Reason for the Rush
The court was told that Langford, of Perry Close in Hanley, had received a call from his now ex-partner. She informed him that the family's dogs were behaving aggressively towards each other. Fearing the pets would injure themselves, he decided to speed to the address to intervene.
In his defence, Langford said he accepted overtaking a car but did not initially see the police blue lights because he was focused on hazards ahead, likely due to his excessive speed. He claimed that once he noticed the lights, he knew he was in trouble but decided to continue to his ex-partner's house to deal with the emergency first.
Sentencing and Mitigation
Langford pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and failure to stop at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on October 2. Mitigating, Mike Kimberley explained that Langford had been under significant strain.
He detailed a history of bullying at school due to weight and dyslexia, subsequent employment struggles, and the pressure of working two security jobs to support his four children, who have disabilities. Mr Kimberley said Langford's relationship had broken down, social services were involved, and he had developed a dependency on alcohol, all impacting his mental health.
On the day of the offence, his primary concern was that his sons would blame him if the dogs were hurt. When police caught up with him outside the house, his first request was for a moment to deal with the animals, after which he told officers, "After that, I’m all yours."
The court heard Langford was deeply ashamed, had no previous convictions, and was struggling with his mental health.
The Court's Decision
District Judge Timothy Bosworth sentenced Langford to a 12-month community order, which includes 15 rehabilitation activity days. He was also ordered to pay £299 in court costs.
In addition to the community order, Langford was handed a 15-month driving ban. The judge emphasised that the dangerous driving had put other road users at risk, regardless of the driver's personal motivations.
