Man jailed for 15 months and banned from driving for two years and six months following police pursuit

A man has been jailed for a series of offences following a pursuit through part of rural Forest Heath.

Junik Ferizaj, aged 25 and of no fixed abode but of the Mildenhall area, was sentenced to 15 months in jail and banned from driving for two years and six months at Ipswich Crown Court on Wednesday, February 14.

It follows his conviction on the same day for possession of an offensive weapon, namely a lock knife. He had denied this offence but was found guilty by the jury following a short trial.

He had pleaded guilty at an earlier court hearing to a string of other offences – dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, possession of cannabis and driving with no insurance.

It follows an incident on August 21, 2023, where police on patrol as part of the Op Sentinel team had reason to stop his car, a black Toyota Prius, just outside Newmarket.

The vehicle failed to stop for the officers and was then driven in a dangerous manner for around five miles through Fordham and Isleham, in Cambridgeshire, before eventually being stopped on the B1104 Islesham Road.

Officers arrested Ferizaj at the scene and he was taken into custody at Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre where he was subsequently charged.

PC Harry Tully, from the West Sentinel team, said: “This is a really powerful example of how the Op Sentinel teams across the county play such as important role in Suffolk, keeping our residents safe by actively targeting those using our road network to carry out their illicit activities, which is often the cause of misery for many within the county.

“We are determined to continue to make Suffolk a hostile environment for those involved in the drug supply chain and other serious offences that blight our communities and bring misery to many people.”

The Op Sentinel teams based in the South, West and East were set up to disrupt criminality on the county’s roads, protect local communities and tackle cross-border criminality.

Based across the county, they proactively disrupt serious and organised criminal activity as well as increase police visibility. They make use of a wide range of proactive policing tactics and technology including Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and mobile fingerprint devices to identify and intercept criminals, frustrate their activities and make Suffolk a hostile place for criminals to operate.