Aerial photos show trail of destruction left by driver of ‘stolen’ Land Rover who veered into maize field in bid to shake off a police helicopter – moments before killing woman in a road crash

• The Land Rover drove half a mile through the 32 acre field of 8ft tall maize plants
• The 4×4 vehicle killed a woman in a car crash after veering onto the A143 road 

Ariel photos show the trail of destruction left by a Land Rover that killed a woman in a crash after being chased by a police helicopter through a maize field.

The driver of the Land Rover Defender left a trail of flattened maize plants after veering into the 32-acre field in a desperate bid to shake off police.

Drone pictures show the path taken by the 4×4 vehicle as it drove half a mile through the field of 8ft tall maize plants in Earsham on the Norfolk and Suffolk border.

The suspected stolen car then collided with a Nissan Juke just moments later after leaving the field and veering onto the A143. 

A woman in the Nissan was fatally injured and pronounced dead at the scene following the crash at around 4.30pm on July 13.

Ariel photos show the trail of destruction left by a suspected stolen Land Rover the veered into a maize field in a bid to shake off police

Deputy farm manager Jim Aldous, 29, (pictured) stands in the trail left by the Land Rover

Two men in the Land Rover, aged in their 20s and 40s, were also injured and required hospital treatment.

A Norfolk Police spokesperson confirmed the pair had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. No update has yet been given on their condition.

The car is believed to have been pursued by several police cars and a police helicopter before it  drove into the field at Earsham Park Farm.

The police spokesperson said: ‘At the time of the collision officers investigating the suspected theft of a vehicle from Suffolk had been pursuing the Land Rover.

‘The incident has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct by Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies, as is standard procedure.’

Jim Aldous, 29, the assistant manager of Earsham Park Farm, said: ‘I heard a police helicopter overhead and didn’t think anything of it.

‘Then I got a phone call from someone working on the farm saying something was going on. When I got here I heard a big bang as the crash happened.

‘We discovered that the car had been driven though the field. I don’t know if the police followed them in, but you can see tracks where it looks like two different cars came through.

‘It is just terrible that a woman who was minding her own business ended up losing her life. I don’t want to be seen making a fuss about the damage to the field.

‘The maize was being grown as cattle feed and is not due to be harvested for a few weeks.

The suspected stolen Land Rover left a trail of destruction after driving half a mile through a maize field in Earsham on the Norfolk and Suffolk border 

Flight tracker records show the suspected stolen Land Rover was being followed by a police helicopter

‘I can only describe it as absolute carnage. There were cars driving round like headless chickens.

‘Cars on the main road had stopped, and there were police everywhere. People didn’t know what to do.’

Online flight tracker records confirm that a police helicopter was following the suspected stolen vehicle before it crashed on a straight stretch of the 60mph limit A143 road.

Tyre skid marks are still visible on the road, and pieces of debris litter the verge on the Harleston-bound side of the road.

Branches from bushes at the roadside also appear to have been broken by the impact.

Two air ambulance helicopters were scrambled to the scene, according to flight tracker records.

Jeff Fry, 61, the landlord of the Wortwell Bell pub said he was driving past the maize field when he saw the Land Rover career back on to the A143.

He said: ‘I saw police standing on a corner by the field and then noticed a police helicopter overhead.

‘The next second this white Land Rover bounced out of the field throwing up dust and stones as it spun around. I just drove past and thought, ‘What one earth is happening?’ ‘

A woman was pronounced dead at the scene following a crash involving the Land Rover and a Nissan Juke on the A143

A Facebook user posted: ‘Thought something bad was going on, police helicopter was following something up the A143 by the looks of it then circled over Earsham for ages.’

A witness posted on Facebook: ‘Happened right in front of us! It looked like a big police chase, rtc involving a stolen car and another. So sorry to hear it was a fatal.’

The Land Rover Defender is believed to have been earlier stolen from the Newmarket area, but police have not yet given any details about the theft.

An IOPC spokesperson said: ‘We can confirm we have decided to independently investigate police actions prior to a fatal road traffic collision in Norfolk on Sunday afternoon.

‘We understand police had been pursuing a Land Rover Defender before it collided with a Nissan Juke on the A143 soon after 4.30pm.

‘After being notified by Norfolk Police, we sent investigators to the scene and to the police post incident procedure to begin our enquiries.’

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