Single mother, 29, who led police on 90mph chase with her two children unsecured in BMW spared jail

A glamorous single mother has narrowly avoided jail after leading police on a 90mph chase and speeding through a town with two young children in the back of her BMW.

At 7pm on a Friday evening in January last year, Tegan Bulley, 29, from Southampton, overtook an unmarked police car on the A336 before racing off at 90mph, bombing through red lights and accelerating up the wrong side of the road as officers gave chase.

Bulley careered through residential streets, hitting 70mph over speed bumps and nearly lost control before police had to slow down and lost her. 

Neither of her children, who were aged just five and eight, were secured in child seats during the ‘appalling incident’.

When the 29-year-old was eventually tracked down, she gave a false name to officers and claimed her white BMW 3 series had been stolen, before later pleading guilty to one charge of dangerous driving.

Bulley wept as she avoided an immediate prison sentence at Southampton Crown Court.

Judge Brian Forster QC handed her an eight month sentence but suspended it for 15 months, also disqualifying her from driving for a year.

Siobhan Linsley, prosecuting, told the court police in an unmarked car first spotted Bulley speeding at about 7pm on a Friday evening in January 2021, when she overtook them on the A336 on the outskirts of Southampton.

She said: ‘At the time the police car itself was going 40mph on a 40mph road – the maximum speed – when they were overtaken by a white BMW.

‘The police accelerated to keep up with her and the vehicle was doing 50mph at that point.’

After momentarily slowing down for a speed camera, Bulley ‘again accelerated’ and turned off the main road and into the town of Totton, Hampshire.

She then began heading towards Totton’s town centre at 40mph on 30mph residental roads.

Prosecutor Linsley said officers ‘began to suspect that she wouldn’t stop’ so turned on their blue lights and siren, which prompted the BMW to slow and the passenger door to open momentarily before speeding off again.

Neither of her children, aged just five and eight, were secured in child seats during the ‘appalling incident’. When the 29-year-old (pictured) was eventually tracked down, she gave a false name to officers and claimed her white BMW 3 series had been stolen, before later pleading guilty to one charge of dangerous driving

The court heard police pursued Bulley through the 30mph residential area, as she pulled into other roads and T junctions ‘without any hesitation’.

At one point Bulley was driving at speeds of up to 70mph over speed bumps.

Police continued to chase the BMW, which now reached speeds of 90mph, back to the A336, where Bulley drove through a red light and moved on to the wrong side of the road.

Ms Linsley said Bulley briefly pulled over and a man got out and ran off, before again ‘pulling away, accelerating to 60 to 70mph on a 30mph road’ and entering a roundabout on the wrong side of the road ‘without stopping to check for traffic’.

Prosecutor Linsley said Bulley (pictured) briefly pulled over and a man got out and ran off, before again ‘pulling away, accelerating to 60 to 70mph on a 30mph road’ and entering a roundabout on the wrong side of the road ‘without stopping to check for traffic’

She added: ‘She was going so fast for the conditions that the back end of the BMW was spinning from side to side and the police officers got the impression that she very nearly lost control at that point.’

Concerned that the BMW was not going to stop, police stopped chasing her and then searched for the car in a slower patrol afterwards.

Police were pointed to the car and saw a woman, Bulley, nearby walking two young children in their nightwear but didn’t stop them. 

CCTV showed the woman exiting the car with the two children, proving all three were passengers during the high speed chase. 

About 40 minutes after police found the vehicle, a black BMW arrived at the scene with police still there.

 When interviewed by police, Bulley said she was ‘at a friend’s house when she realised her car keys had gone missing’. Asked why she initially gave a false name, she said she didn’t want to be a ‘grass’ (pictured outside Southampton Crown Court)

Bulley was sat in the back and gave a false name of Amy Greaves to the officers before admitting her real name. She denied driving the car and said she had just been at a party and was getting a lift home.

When interviewed by police, Bulley said she was ‘at a friend’s house when she realised her car keys had gone missing’. Asked why she initially gave a false name, she said she didn’t want to be a ‘grass’.

Bulley then pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at her first court appearance.

Khalid Missouri, defending, told Southampton Crown Court that Bulley suffered from anxiety, had since lost a job as a contact supervisor for children’s services due to not now being able to drive, and is working part time as a waitress in a restaurant.

He said at the time she was in a long term relationship which became ‘quite controlling’ and lives as a single mother with two children who ‘aren’t straight-forward’. 

‘That man was in the car with the two children,’ Mr Missouri said. ‘She didn’t realise at the time but he was wanted by police.

Bulley wept as she avoided an immediate prison sentence at Southampton Crown Court (pictured). Judge Brian Forster QC handed her an eight month sentence but suspended it for 15 months, also disqualifying her from driving for a year

‘She attempted to stop but before she could he shouted at her to drive on and started to make threats about her children being taken away from her if she stopped.’

Judge Forster QC, sentencing, said: ‘You caused considerable risk to members of the community.

‘You drove on the wrong side of the road, you drove through a red light and in reality you were doing everything in your power to get away from the police.

‘You had two children in the car aged five and eight, they were not restrained as they should have been.

‘This is a very bad case of dangerous driving.’

However, he decided to suspend the sentence because he deemed she was ‘vulnerable’ to the other man in the car who got out and ran off.

She was ordered to carry out 80 hours of unpaid work and 20 days with the probation service.

The single mother was told she also has to pay a fine of £10 a month for a year.

The judge added: ‘Please don’t ever put yourself in this situation [again], because if you do you put yourself at risk of having to serve the prison sentence.’