Yahoo News Man high on cocaine led police on chase up to 70mph on pavements and wrong side of the road in middle of the day
A Scunthorpe motorist led police on a 70mph chase through the town when he was high on cocaine, a court heard.
Police had to deploy a stinger device to stop the Peugeot Panther car which was driven on pavements and jumped red lights in the afternoon of August 21 last year.
At Grimsby Crown Court, Tyler Davison, 21, of Parklands, admitted dangerous driving and driving with excess drugs in his system. Further offences of having no insurance and driving not in accordance with his provisional licence, were also admitted.
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Recorder David Gordon said: "It could have been absolutely disastrous." He added the offence was "totally disgusting" and warned: "Motor vehicles in the wrong hands are killer machines."
Prosecuting, Maya Hanson said police became suspicious when the works car with four people on board was being driven on false plates. Blue lights were activated to encourage the Peugeot driver to stop. But instead he drove along Scotter Road into Stanley Road, where he drove on the wrong side of the carriageway and re-joined Scotter Road.
Miss Hanson said traffic was busy at around 2.15pm and to avoid a queue of traffic, Davison mounted a pavement and drove along it as far as Doncaster Road. There, he jumped a red light and overtook vehicles before turning into Brumby Wood Lane. Police clocked his speed at 70mph in a 40mph limit zone. The silver Peugeot continued overtaking cars and some motorists had to swerve to avoid the on-coming car.
The Peugeot clipped the wing mirror of one car before going into West Common Lane where the Peugeot straddled both lanes. On West Common Lane the car was travelling at 50mph in a 30mph limit. Police deployed a stinger device to puncture the Peugeot tyres. It spun out of control near to Newbolt Avenue and came to a halt.
The occupants all fled but the driver, Davison, was arrested nearby. A drug swipe proved he was driving under the influence of drugs. Miss Hanson said tests later proved he had 15 times the prescribed limit for cocaine. She said it was highly dangerous driving impaired by the consumption of drugs.
For Davison, Jasmine Lee said her client was aware he had risked himself and other road users because his driving fell below the standard expected of a competent driver. "He's in this position from his own blatant stupidity. There is a need to reach full maturity in his decision-making process which is not quite there," she said.
The defence barrister said her client had been asked to drive his work colleagues home. Recorder Gordon said: "He was 15 times the limit. What if he had hit someone or killed someone? What on earth is he doing?" He added it was only by luck, rather than calculation, no one had been killed. He said Davison had put the police officers' lives at risk by his attempts to evade them.
Recorder Gordon said: "It is sheer madness to take cocaine, let alone drive with it. It is sometimes called a recreational drug. But you should see the people that come to these courts for drug offences. You need to steer clear of such things.
He imposed a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He ordered Davison to do 200 hours unpaid work in the community and to complete 19 days of rehabilitation activity. He was banned from driving for two years.
