A man surprisingly failed to get away from police while driving at 15mph in his car with two completely flat tyres.
Adam Wrobel attempted to evade chasing officers for one mile as the tyres on his BMW X1 continued to shred away from the alloys.
Sceptical lawyers described his futile escape as ‘the world’s slowest police chase’.
The pursuit ended after the 53-year-old failed in his bid to ram a police vehicle and ploughed into a bus shelter.
Pictures of the scene following the incident showed the extent of the damage caused to Wrobel’s car and how the rubber had disintegrated from the wheels.
He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving but avoided an immediate jail term when appearing at Swindon Magistrates’ Court last Friday.
The court heard how he was first stopped by police in Swindon at 1pm on January 27 this year after they spotted two of the tyres on his black SUV were completely deflated.
Keith Ballinger, prosecuting, said the defendant initially cooperated and spoke to the officer who was issuing a traffic offence report due to the dangerous condition of the vehicle.
But after checks revealed Wrobel was supposed to be wearing glasses for driving and that his car was going to be seized, he switched the engine back on and made his getaway attempt.
Wrobel swerved along Dorcan Way with lumps of rubber continuing to fly off the wheels as officers called backup into the area.
Police used a stinger to puncture the remaining tyres, but despite running on the rims, he continued to try and escape until they eventually boxed him in along The Drive.
He attempted to accelerate his way out by smashing into a police car, but then crashed into a bus stop before being arrested.
Acting inspector Will Ayres, of Wiltshire Police, said: ‘It was extremely fortunate that nobody was waiting at the bus stop at the time, as this could have had extremely tragic consequences.’
In an interview, Wrobel claimed his driving was not dangerous because he was moving slowly, and told officers he ‘just wanted to get home’.
Gordon Hotson, defending, said he had provided his client with some ‘blunt advice’.
Wrobel was handed a 16-week prison sentence suspended for 18 months. He must complete 25 rehabilitation activity days and 180 hours of unpaid work. He was also given an 18-month driving ban with the additional requirement to take an extended re-test before getting his licence back.
Inspector Ayres added: ‘The sentence given reflects the seriousness of the driver’s actions.
‘He was driving a vehicle which was clearly in a dangerous condition and completely unroadworthy – the vehicle was totally devoid of any rubber on the front nearside tyre which was leaving grooves in the road surface as a result.
‘Wrobel then went on to ram a police vehicle in an attempt to evade capture, putting other road users and pedestrians at risk.’
In a similarly dangerous incident, ex-Premier League footballer Danny Graham was banned from driving for two years when appearing at court last week for ploughing his car through a shop after drinking ‘up to 10 pints’.
