Unlicensed driver pepper-sprayed after high-speed police chase

Saturday 19 March 2022

An unlicensed driver who had to be pepper-sprayed by police after a high-speed car chase through town has been sentenced to 120 hours of community service.

20-year-old Shane Andrew Le Breton appeared in the Royal Court on Friday. It heard that late on 19 November last year, he took a stranger’s car, drove it through the streets of St. Helier erratically, at speed, and without lights.

When a police officer began to follow with his siren and blue lights activated, Le Breton did not stop. Instead, he drove the wrong way up a one-way road. 

Unable to carry on due to parked cars, he rammed them in an effort to escape. When the officer pulled up behind him, Le Breton – who was 19 at the time - reversed into the police car so forcefully the police car was pushed backwards. He did this three times. 

Le Breton only stopped his efforts to flee when the officer ran to the passenger side of his car, smashed the window, and pepper sprayed him.

He had first been seen by St. Helier Honorary officers who were carry out a static speed check near on the Inner Road under Westmount. 

Le Breton was driving a blue Ford Fiesta erratically at around 70 mph toward town with no lights and ignored the officers’ attempts to flag him down. He almost crashed as he approached West Park apartments before heading round to the People’s Park.

The 20-year-old then drove up Old St John’s Road, where a police officer in a car saw him and took up pursuit.

The trained pursuit response officer describes the driving as “extremely dangerous” and in a statement said “he was oblivious to me as he sped past and his driving can only be described as crazy, even without being aware of a police presence”. 

Having turned right at the junction, Le Breton drove down Queen’s Road at “extreme” speed, followed by the police officer who had activated the blue lights and siren.

Le Breton turned left at the Rouge Bouillon roundabout and then left the wrong way up Drury Lane, which runs past the far end of College Gardens.

There, he crashed into two cars parked on either side of the road, where it narrows. He then tried to ram the parked cars to escape.

The police car stopped about 20m behind the Fiesta with its blue lights and siren still on. Le Breton then reversed into the police car three times, slowly forcing it back with the Fiesta's clutch burning.

The officer then smashed the passenger-side car window with his baton and sprayed Le Breton with a “lengthy” dose of pepper spray to stop him from driving. 

Le Breton moved across to the passenger seat with an arm raised and the officer managed to handcuff him, and then get him out of the vehicle and arrest him.

The owner of the Fiesta later said that he had not given Le Breton permission to use the car. 

Le Breton was also almost twice over the legal drink-drive limit, was uninsured and had never passed his driving test.

Defending, Advocate James Bell said that Le Breton had already spent nearly six months in custody on remand, which was punishment enough.

He also drew the Court’s attention to reports which not only detailed Le Breton’s background but also the steps he was taking to change his life for the better.

In addition to community service, Le Breton was disqualified from driving for three years and put on probation for 18 months.

Lieut-Bailiff Anthony Olsen was sitting with Jurats Jerry Ramsden and Kim Averty.