Hampshire police share shocking dash cam footage of high-speed chase with motorcyclist

Owen Watson, 23, of Taranto Road in Southampton, was speeding at 60mph along The Avenue in Southampton while police were in hot pursuit.

The bike had fraudulent plates and Watson had no licence or insurance.

The biker refused to stop and tried to evade police by attempting to enter The Common, which was busy with pedestrians.

In a bid to end the pursuit, the officer behind the wheel made tactical contact to stop the bike – and although Watson and his passenger fled the scene, it wasn’t long before the biker was captured by police, and also found to be in possession of cannabis.

PC Paul Weston from the roads policing unit said: ‘The footage of this pursuit shows how reckless Watson's actions were. It was a very busy time of day and there were lots of cars and pedestrians in the area.

‘Speed limits are there for a reason and it is extremely lucky there was nobody seriously injured or worse as a result of his speeding.

‘We are committed to apprehending all motorists who show complete disregard for the laws of the road.’

On Monday, October 24 at Southampton Magistrates Court, Watson was sentenced for driving without due care and attention, driving without a licence, failing to stop, using a fraudulent registration mark, possession of cannabis and driving uninsured. He had pleaded guilty to all the offences.

He received a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months. He was also fined £400 and asked to pay £85 in costs and a £128 victim surcharge.