7:55 am, August 4, 2026
A motorist who staged a dramatic motorway incident involving his Jaguar I-Pace in an attempt to escape his finance agreement has been jailed for more than four years.
Liverpool Crown Court heard Nathan Owen, 33, fabricated claims that his electric Jaguar had suffered a catastrophic malfunction while travelling on the M57 and M58 in March 2024.
The incident sparked a major police operation and Owen later sold his story to tabloid newspapers.
The court head how Jaguar Land Rover was forced to put aside more than £50m in marketing costs to counter the bad publicity that resulted from the press coverage.
In court, Owen admitted dangerous driving and two counts of fraud before being sentenced to four years and three months in prison.
He was also banned from driving for five years and until he passes an extended driving test.
Owen claimed his Jaguar I-Pace was ‘not stopping’ as it travelled along the M57 and M58.
Specially-trained police officers were forced to box the vehicle in on the M62 near Junction 12 at Birchwood, Warrington.
Prosecutors said the car reached speeds of up to 86mph, went through red lights before joining the motorway and collided with a police vehicle several times during the incident.
Prosecutors told the court the entire incident had been ‘fabricated’ after Owen ran into financial difficulties and wanted to get rid of the vehicle.
Investigations found there was no fault with the car, the court heard.
The original 999 call was made while the Jaguar was stationary and came just five minutes after Owen had contacted his finance company, which had rejected his request to borrow more money.
The following day, Owen sold his account of the incident to The Sun and the Daily Mail, receiving a combined £800 for describing his alleged ‘terror ride’ and ’35 minutes in hell’.
Investigators uncovered text messages on Owen’s mobile phone showing him discussing ways of getting rid of the Jaguar, including having it written off, in the months before the incident.
Police also found he had built up significant personal debts and had missed multiple finance payments on the vehicle.
Sentencing Owen, Judge Ian Unsworth KC said: ‘You set in train a course of conduct which caused a significant police traffic operation to be deployed, undoubted alarm to the public and very substantial loss and disruption to others.’
The judge said police officers placed themselves in danger because they believed they were dealing with a genuine emergency.
The judge added: ‘You, meanwhile, sought to profit from a lie.’
Owen was disqualified from driving for five years and will have to take an extended driving test in the future.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Constable Michael Doyle said: ‘It was clear from our investigations that he was in full control of his vehicle throughout the duration of the incident.
‘By his own admission there were workers on the hard shoulder of the motorway and he clearly put them and other road users in danger with his reckless actions.’
A charge of causing a public nuisance was ordered to lie on the file.