A man from Putney has been sentenced to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary and multiple driving offences.

James O’Neill, of Chepstow Close, Putney, appeared at Guildford Crown Court on March 15 after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failure to stop, fail to provide a specimen for drug analysis and two counts of residential burglary.

O’Neill, 27, was sentenced to three years in prison and received a 54 month driving ban.

PC Nick Swann from the Roads Policing Unit said “O’Neill showed a complete disregard for the safety of the public when he attempted to flee from officers.

“Thanks to the close working relationship between Surrey Police’s Operations Command Units and the Metropolitan Police, we managed to apprehend O’Neill and hold him to account for his dangerous driving and prior burglary offences.”

O’Neill was seen by officers driving a stolen silver Mercedes on January 3, 2022, and when police attempted to stop him, O’Neill rammed two police vehicles.

Officers then chased O’Neill’s vehicle as he drove along the A3.

On reaching an area with heavy traffic, O’Neill got out of the vehicle and fled on foot.

O’Neill was quickly detained and arrested by officers from Surrey Police and the Metropolitan Police.

After his arrest, O’Neill was also forensically linked to two burglaries in West Surrey in July 2021.