A hare courser – with a child in his car -led police on a high speed, nine-mile chase across the Fens, a court heard.

They were found eventually having crawled along the bottom of the ditch in an attempt to stay out of sight.

The court heard that David Chulk, 43, came to police attention on February 6 last year following reports of hare coursing in Forty Foot Bank, Ramsey.

Moments later, an officer from the force’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) arrived and spotted a car travelling towards him in Ramsey Hollow Drove, before turning off onto The Hollow.

The officer followed the green and grey Subaru Forester, which began to accelerate away. The officer turned on their sirens but the car failed to stop and a pursuit began.

The Subaru drove along farm tracks at speed before joining Forty Foot Bank where the officer managed to catch up.

As the police car moved next to the Subaru in an attempt to stop it, the driver braked before turning around and driving off in the opposite direction.

At this point, the officer was able to look at the driver and the pursuit continued as the Subaru drove through a private garden before going off road and across a ploughed field.

The officer then saw Chulk, two other men, and a child abandon the car, which had also been carrying five dogs.

A team of officers eventually found a dog in a waterfilled ditch. When officers tried to retrieve the dog, Chulk and a young boy emerged from behind a curtain of undergrowth in the water.

They had been crawling along the bottom of the ditch in an attempt to stay out of sight.

Chulk identified himself and the officer recognised him as the driver of the Subaru, which was seized.

Chulk initially denied driving the car, however, he was reported for the offence and later pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

Chulk, of Laleham Road, Shepperton, Middlesex, was sentenced to five months in prison, suspended for 18 months, and was disqualified from driving for two years at Peterborough Crown Court on Tuesday (December 1). He will also have to take an extended re-test and carry out 100 hours of unpaid work.

DC Tom Nuttall, from the RCAT, said: “Chulk’s driving was highly dangerous and showed a complete disregard for the safety of his passengers and all other motorists around him.

“Despite attempts to evade us, the meticulous searches carried out by the RCAT led to him being caught and reported.

“We will continue to do all we can to help keep our rural spaces safe and bring offenders before the courts.”