A MAN who admitted a dangerous driving charge has gone on to receive a suspended prison sentence for perverting the course of justice since the motoring offence was committed.

Lewis Olver appeared at Durham Crown Court yesterday for a plea hearing in the dangerous driving case, relating to an incident said to have taken place on roads in the Blackhall Colliery area.

Olver, 25, of Rothbury Avenue, Horden, admitted driving dangerously on Middle Street and Ninth Street, at 5.30pm on August 28, last year.

He is said to have been at the wheel of a Vauxall Corsa which took a corner and collided with railings, narrowly missing nearby pedestrians.

But his counsel, Martin Scarborough, told the court since the incident his client has received an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, imposed at the court after he jointly admitting a charge of doing an act tending or intended to pervert the course of justice.

It involved members of a family, with whom he and a partner were in dispute, being falsely arrested.

The dangerous driving matter was brought before Judge Christopher Prince, who had passed sentence in the case of perverting the course of justice, in April.

Mr Scarborough said although the offences were not directly related, the driving matter pre-dated the justice perversion matter by several months.

Judge Prince said the sentencing in this case would not need to be tied to him.

He adjourned sentence on Olver to allow a background report to be updated by the Probation Service.

Olver was granted bail to return for sentence for the dangerous driving offence, on December 13.