A drug dealer led police on a high-speed pursuit through Altrincham — before crashing and attempting to pull a machete on cops chasing him.
Leo Gatrell, of Mallard Green, Broadheath, drove through red lights, hurtled down the wrong side of the road, and raced down a one way street in the wrong direction, reaching speeds of 75mph in a 30 zone during the chase in January 2019.
He only stopped when he went the wrong way down a one-way street — and crashed into a parked and oncoming car.
Attempting to flee, the then-19-year-old tried to pull a machete from his bag, which also contained a quantity of cannabis and scales.
The officer chasing Gatrell ‘said he was scared for his life’ during the pursuit, Minshull Street Crown Court was told on Wednesday (October 6).
The chase was not the only time Gatrell had trouble with the law, prosecutor Lisa Boocock said.
Following the 2019 incident, Gatrell travelled in a car with three others over to Doncaster, Yorkshire, in April 2020 — the height of the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Officers spotted the car full of men, and saw it was registered to a Manchester address — raising their suspicions that they were not complying with pandemic regulations.
However, when they stopped the car, they could smell cannabis, and found cannabis on Gatrell — as well as scales and a can of pepper spray, Ms Boocock told the court.
Cops also found 15 bottles of diazepam, a class C drug, on Gatrell — with ketamine, 26 grammes of cannabis and a quantity of cash found at his home address following a search the day after he was stopped in South Yorkshire.
A few months later, Gatrell was then found to be hurling racist and homophobic abuse at a passersby outside a tower block in Salford.
In the small hours of the morning of July 26, 2020, Gatrell yelled ‘n*****’ and ‘f*****’ as people made their way past him, and then also punched a bystander who was on his way home from a night out.
Fortunately for the victim, the blow only glanced the side of his head, but it was enough to knock him to the ground.
After the victim and his partner left the scene, Gatrell began to direct his anger at parked cars nearby.
Among those damaged were a Mini, Volvo XC90, and an Audi — with the vehicles either kicked, had their wing mirrors pulled off, or scratched.
The Volvo sustained most of the damage, with the bill coming to £8,399 in total, Ms Boocock said.
Throughout the sentencing hearing, it transpired that Gatrell had been arrested by Greater Manchester Police on each occasion, only to be released ‘under investigation’ by cops.
That was described as a ‘ludicrous’ and ‘astonishing’ decision by judge Nicholas Clarke QC.
“That’s ludicrous,” the recorder said when he learned Gatrell had been arrested in January 2019, after the first incident. “Why was he not charged there and then?”
He went on to add: “It has been a very lengthy delay.
“We are now two years and 10 months on from the first incident, 18 months from the second and 15 months from the third.”
Defending the 22-year-old was David Toal, who said in mitigation that his client’s criminal wrongdoing began after he himself was ‘stabbed’.
“His father accompanies him today,” the defence barrister said.
“He said matters went downhill when [Leo] was stabbed at 18-years-old.
“He was housebound and reemerged and got in with the wrong crowd.”
During that time, his cannabis use increased, and he became a supplier of the drug, Toal said.
Since his arrest, Gatrell had given up using the narcotic, had secured employment as a graphic designer, and moved in with his mum.
The defence added that was ‘a major factor in turning his life around’.
Judge Clarke QC elected to hand Gatrell a suspended sentence, believing he had shown good progress in rehabilitation between the last offence and his appearance before the court.
“The courts [do] sometimes have to deal with offenders who have moved on with their lives,” the judge said.
“I am only [suspending the sentence] because of the delays.”
He gave Gatrell, who admitted possession of a machete, drug driving, assault, and drug dealing, two years in prison, suspended for two years.
Gatrell was also handed 300 hours of unpaid work, 30 rehabilitation days, and an eight month nighttime curfew, as well as a two year driving ban.
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