Jailed: Disqualified Shropshire drink driver in 100mph police chase
A disqualified Shropshire driver who travelled at speeds of more than 100mph on country lanes during a police chase has been jailed.
Shane Slater was behind the wheel of his Vauxhall Vectra in the early hours despite being banned from the roads and being over the drink-drive limit.
The pursuit, part of which was caught on a dashboard camera in the police vehicle, ended when Slater lost control of his car near Newport. It crashed into the grass verge and Slater's girlfriend, who was a front seat passenger, was injured and suffered a broken foot.
Slater was jailed for six months for dangerous driving and was told he was lucky the sentence was not for longer.
Judge Jim Tindal told Slater he needed to learn there were consequences to his actions and he was concerned the defendant would think he had "got away with it again" if he had imposed a suspended sentence.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard Slater had a previous driving ban and had been jailed last year for drugs offences and was on licence at the time.
The 23-year-old, of Newport Road, Hinstock, was also banned from driving for three years.
He admitted dangerous driving on the A41 and in Pave Lane and other roads, driving while disqualified, driving with excess alcohol and without insurance.
Kevin Jones, prosecuting, said the Vectra was caught on camera near the M54 at 3.25am on October 8 and it was flagged up that the vehicle had no insurance. He said the defendant arrived home, saw the waiting police car and drove away at speeds of more than 100mph.
A video from the police camera was played to the court showing the car travelling on narrow and unclassified lanes.
"These were single track, unlit roads with high hedges with blind bends and any vehicle coming in the opposite direction would have had no chance," said Mr Jones.
He said Slater's passenger, Ella Smith, broke several toes when the car crashed.
The defendant was arrested and subsequent tests showed Slater had 57 microgrammes of alcohol in his breath. The legal limit is 35. He said the level of alcohol was likely to have been higher at the time Slater was first seen in the vehicle a few hours earlier.
Slater apologised and said he was now working in the family business.
