Three men who carried out a brutal machete attack were caught by cops after speeding at 85mph the wrong way down an A-road.

Bradley Dulieu, Talliq Mwalim, and Jay Hursham were driving a BMW X5 when they chased the victim, who is in his 20s, as he drove towards Arisdale Close, South Ockendon, at about 12.35am on July 1, 2020.

He tried to run away, but he hunted down and attacked with machetes by Hursham and Mwalim who were passengers in the BMW driven by Dulieu.

The attackers then drove off, leaving the victim for dead.

He was later rushed to hospital with life-changing injuries.

Hursham and Mwalim were convicted of attempted murder, and Dulieu was found guilty of GBH with intent following a trial at Basildon Crown Court in December last year, and they were all handed jail terms at the same court yesterday - March 28.

Following the attack, a witness provided cops with a partial registration for the BMW and it was spotted in Brentwood 40 minutes later.

When it failed to stop for officers, a pursuit ensued, which saw the BMW driven the wrong way down the A127 at speeds of between 80mph and 85mph.

Officers used tactical contact to bring the car to a stop in a residential street in Rosebury Gardens, Upminster, and its occupants tried to flee on foot.

The driver, 22 year-old Dulieu, was arrested in the car, while Mwalim, 20, was arrested after a short foot chase.

The third member of the gang – 23 year-old Hursham – made off over residents’ fences and through their gardens before trying to hide inside a hot tub.

He was arrested after armed officers, guided by a police helicopter, surrounded the hot tub, and pulled him out, covered in blood.

Yesterday, Hursham, of Anton Road, South Ockendon was sentenced to 24 years in prison, while Mwalim, of Rosebury Gardens, Upminster, was jailed for 23 years.

Dulieu, of Heathway, Dagenham was given a 10-year sentence.

Det Supt Natalia Ross said: “This was a brutal and prolonged attack where these three men subjected the victim to extreme violence.

“They had armed themselves and hunted him down with the clear intent to leave him with significant injuries.

“Such was the ferocity of this attack, he is lucky to be alive.

“Now, thanks to our thorough investigation they will be spending the foreseeable future behind bars."