Nathan Owen, 33, was sentenced to four years and three months in prison at Liverpool Crown Court after faking a brake failure on his electric Jaguar to get out of about £5,000 in car finance payments. Owen pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and two counts of fraud in June.

The incident happened on 6 March 2024. Owen, from Prestatyn, called 999 from his parked car, saying his Jaguar I-Pace would not brake and he had no control over it. He told emergency operators the brakes had failed at speeds of up to 100mph. He then drove at up to 86mph across three motorways — the M58, M57, and M62 — for about 35 minutes, covering 38 miles. As police tried to stop him, Owen hit a police car 31 times. The chase only ended near junction 12 of the M62 when the car's battery ran out.

The court heard that Owen had a clear financial motive. Car finance means borrowing money to pay for a car in monthly instalments, and Owen still owed about £5,000 on his agreement. On the day of the incident, he had tried and failed to get a loan from a lending company. Forty minutes after the chase ended, Owen called his finance company. He was arrested on 13 March. Owen denied making up the incident for money, but pleaded guilty to the driving and fraud charges in June. The court also heard that Owen received £300 from the Sun newspaper and £500 from the Daily Mail for telling his story.

Police investigated alongside Jaguar Land Rover, which confirmed the car was working properly. The car's internal computer records showed that Owen did not press the brakes at any point during the incident.

Judge Ian Unsworth KC said Owen's actions caused a major police operation, public alarm, and significant disruption. Along with the prison sentence, Owen was banned from driving for five years after his release.

The false claims also caused serious damage for Jaguar. The company told the court it spent an extra £50 million on marketing to counter the negative publicity. The incident led to 180 pieces of damaging media coverage, and Jaguar said it had to spend heavily to protect its reputation and reassure customers that its electric cars were safe.

The broader context here is about how modern cars record detailed data that can expose lies. Owen assumed that a mechanical failure would be hard to disprove. Instead, the car's own computer records showed he never touched the brakes, which is what ultimately led to his conviction. The case also shows how a single false safety claim can cost a company millions as it scrambles to reassure worried customers.