March 2010 Paedophile on the run – Jailed A PAEDOPHILE went on a dangerous 15-mile car chase across East Yorkshire to escape police. Melvyn Pickering drove his black Mitsubishi four-wheel-drive at high speeds through the East Riding into Hull, before crashing into a primary school playground. He was pursued by seven police cars, an armed response unit and the force helicopter, which captured footage of the incident. Detectives had previously discovered Pickering, 41, of Walkington, near Beverley, with more than 750 indecent images of children – some of whom were just 18-month-old babies. He had sent nearly 170 indecent pictures to another paedophile in Wales. Officers had tracked Pickering to the Humber Bridge car park when he failed to answer his police bail on February 11 this year. When they arrived, Pickering refused to hand himself in and drove at high speeds through Swanland before returning to the A63. He then headed to Hessle Road, west Hull, where he went the wrong way round a roundabout, drove on the wrong side of the road and nearly hit a pedestrian. Pickering then turned into Wheeler Street, west Hull, where police tried to block him in, but he mounted the pavement and drove around the police cars. It was then that he lost control of his car and crashed through the grounds of Wheeler Street Primary School. Fortunately, no one was hurt. At Hull Crown Court, he pleaded guilty to nine counts of making indecent images and nine counts of distributing indecent images of children and one count of dangerous driving. The Honorary Recorder of Hull and the East Riding, Judge Michael Mettyear has sentenced him to three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment. Pickering has been banned from driving for three years and ordered to sign the Sex Offenders’ Register indefinitely.