Nathan Owen, 33, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison by Liverpool Crown Court on 3/8/2024, and banned from driving for five years after his release. The judge concluded that Owen intentionally misled police into believing they faced a life-threatening emergency. In reality, his actions were a calculated scheme to evade financial obligations related to his vehicle.

According to court records, on 6/3/2024, Owen made an emergency 999 call, claiming his Jaguar I-Pace electric SUV had a technical fault, was accelerating uncontrollably, and he could not apply the brakes while driving on Merseyside highways. During the call, Owen repeatedly stated the car had "gone haywire" and he had lost all control. Believing it to be a genuine emergency, police launched a large-scale rescue operation, with multiple patrol cars pursuing the Jaguar for 35 minutes across approximately 61 kilometers.

To prevent the vehicle from colliding with other traffic, police initiated tactical contact, attempting to force the car to stop. This resulted in the Jaguar colliding with police vehicles 31 times before it eventually came to a halt due to a depleted battery.

Police stopping Nathan Owen's car on the highway. Photo: North West Motorway Police

The incident initially caused public outcry and raised significant concerns about the safety of Jaguar electric vehicles. However, a thorough investigation by Merseyside Police and Jaguar Land Rover revealed a different story.

Electronic data from the vehicle showed no technical faults. Crucially, Owen did not apply the brakes at any point during the entire journey, despite repeatedly assuring emergency operators he was trying to. Investigators found that just 30 seconds before his 999 call, the car had been stationary at a roundabout.

Further inquiry uncovered Owen's financial difficulties. He had purchased the Jaguar I-Pace in 9/2023. By 3/2024, he still owed around 5,000 GBP in unpaid car installments and had been denied a loan shortly before contacting the police. Text messages recovered from his phone indicated Owen had previously explored ways to dispose of the vehicle, including having it declared a total loss to terminate his installment payments.

Nathan Owen and the Jaguar. Photo: CPS

Forty minutes after the incident, Owen contacted the finance company. He then proceeded to sell his fabricated "runaway electric car" story to two newspapers, earning a total of 800 GBP. Jaguar Land Rover stated that the false accusations generated approximately 180 negative articles, compelling the company to spend an additional 50 million GBP on media campaigns to restore its brand reputation.

Owen pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and two counts of fraud at a court hearing in June.

Tue Anh (according to The Guardian, Independent)