No jail for driver who led police on high-speed chase across Shropshire

Lewis James was also banned from the road after Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that he failed to pull over for officers at the Churncote A5 junction with the Welshpool Road and sped away at high speed on May 16 last year to Telford and the M54.

The defendant, 41, pleaded guilty to offences of dangerous driving, driving with excess cannabis, having no licence and no insurance at a previous hearing.

He also admitted failure to attend court on December 3 at the sentencing hearing on Thursday.

Sentencing him Judge Anthony Lowe said: "This was a bad piece of driving.

"When I read this case and saw the extent of the period of time involved and the distance you had driven at such fast speeds, I have come to the conclusion that a custodial sentence is inevitable.

"I am here to protect the public from the ridiculous driving which could have killed your partner."

Mr Adrian Roberts, mitigating advocate, said the incident had crossed the custody threshold and that at the time of the incident James was struggling with anxiety.

He said James had decided to go on a drive out from his home, in Cambridge, to Shropshire where he had previously lived in the Westbury area.

Chance

Mr Roberts said: "It seems he input the wrong post code details in his device and found himself in Mid-Wales and was then confronted by the police. He had driven to Caersws, down the back roads to Newtown to Montgomery.

"It was at the A5 junction that the local police force saw the car. Fortunately there was no injury to anyone despite the journey toward Shrewsbury to the M6 junction. He has clearly got issues."

The court heard that James has 10 previous convictions for 16 offences dating back to the 1990s. He was jailed for conspiracy to rob in 2010 and jailed for four-and-a-half years, but had since stayed out of trouble.

Judge Lowe told him: "I'm giving you a chance. In my judgement the public will be better protected in not sending you back down that road to prison, but it comes at a price for you."

For dangerous driving James, of Cambridge, was jailed for 12 months suspended for two years, he must attend 30 rehabilitation activity days with probation.

He will also be subject to a 7pm to 6am curfew for five months. He was also disqualified from driving for a three and a half years.

For driving with excess drugs he was jailed for one month concurrent with the suspended term.

There was no separate penalty for having no licence, no insurance and failing to surrender to bail.