A man with a “bad record” for driving-related convictions in recent years was told by a judge he is getting too old for such offending.

Daniel Henderson was jailed at Durham Crown Court for two further offences of dangerous driving, committed several months apart on busy roads and residential streets in Peterlee.

Ian West, prosecuting, said the first offence arose from an incident in which Henderson and a passenger pulled up in a Citroen car, driven by him, near to a primary school, in Peterlee, on May 24, 2021.

They blocked in a Peugeot 207, got out of the Citroen and began shouting and swearing at the female occupants of the other vehicle, saying something along the lines of, “someone is looking for him”.

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Mr West said they began rocking one of the Peugeot windows backwards and forwards until it shattered, showering glass over one of the women in the car.

But the driver of the Peugeot managed to reverse out from the block and drive away.

Henderson and his passenger then jumped back into the Citroen and a pursuit followed.

When the woman driving the Peugeot reached a roundabout near to Asda, on Yoden Road, Peterlee, she stopped to allow traffic through, and Henderson, in the Citroen, rammed her car from behind.

Mr West said it had the effect of shunting the Peugeot closer towards the roundabout, but there was no further collision.

The terrified Peugeot driver then headed straight to Peterlee Police Station to report the incident.

When he was interviewed, 11 days later, following his arrest, Henderson declined to answer police questions and was released, “under investigation”.

Mr West said by the time he was summonsed to court on charges offences arising from that incident, one year later, Henderson had committed a further driving offence.

It followed the theft of a Hyundai i10 in the Sunderland area on the night of March 21, 2022.

Mr West said it was spotted bearing false registration plates in Peterlee, five days later, and it led to a three-and-a-half-minute chase through the streets of the town shortly before 1.20am.

It involved him driving over grassed verges and over open front gardens outside people’s homes.

When the Hyundai came to a halt, four occupants fled the vehicle, but police pursuers concentrated on the driver, the defendant, who was detained a short distance away,

He protested at the roadside that he was not the driver, and in interview he declined to answer questions.

Mr West told the court Henderson has 32 convictions for 51 offences, including previous dangerous driving incidents, on his record.

The 30-year-old defendant, of Bourne Street, Easington Colliery, admitted two counts of dangerous driving, affray, damaging property (the Peugeot), driving while disqualified and without insurance, failing to provide a breath specimen, plus handling the stolen Hyundai.

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Shaun Spence, for Henderson, said his client indicated he would offer those guilty pleas on the day before his scheduled trial.

Mr Spence conceded that the defendant has, “a very bad record” for dangerous driving, adding: “Clearly his behaviour in the last few years has been unacceptable and reprehensible, and he understands he’s facing custody.

“While on remand he’s been able to reflect on his behaviour and he understands drinking is an issue leading to erratic and idiotic behaviour.

“He’s taken it upon himself to work with the Dart (drug and alcohol recovery) team while in custody and he does wish to obtain employment, but he knows that will be after his period in custody.”

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Mr Spence said the defendant has been in custody since November 10, before which he was on an electronically-monitored tag curfew for 114 days.

Judge James Adkin told Henderson: “You are now 30 and getting a bit old for these sort of offences, which we normally see committed by much younger men.”

Imposing a total prison sentence of 28 months, Judge Adkin also imposed a driving disqualification of four years and two months.