Consett man in court after after high-speed police chase

Alan Armstrong, 30, of Derby Drive, Consett, admitted charges of dangerous driving, driving while unfit through drugs and having no insurance at Durham Crown Court, in June.

It followed a high-speed chase after the Ford Focus he was driving came to police attention, due to being uninsured, near Stanley Crook, County Durham, at 4.45pm on Saturday May 13.

The court heard that Armstrong, who had three passengers, ignored police requests to stop and drove off at speed at the start of a 23-minute pursuit taking in many rural roads, but ending on the outskirts of Consett.

Liam O’Brien, prosecuting, said Armstrong straddled white lines, overtook in dangerous situations, reaching speeds of between 95 and 100mph.

He also drove at double the speed limit on 30 and 40-limit roads and forced other road users to take evasive action to avoid being hit by his vehicle, particularly after he took one corner blindly, in reckless fashion.

Read more: Consett man admitted taking cocaine and cannabis before driving

A motorcyclist was forced off a road into a gravel area, while two elderly pedestrians were almost hit by the Focus.

He eventually came to a halt and decamped the vehicle near Consett, but he was pinpointed and arrested with aerial assistance from a police helicopter.

Armstrong gave a positive roadside swipe for the presence of drugs in his system and admitted having taken cannabis and cocaine prior to the chase, conceding his driving was, “dangerous and wrong”.

The court heard he only had one previous driving offence on his record.

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Concluding the hearing in late June, Recorder Mark Giuliani said he would defer sentencing the defendant for three months to see if he could address his drug issues, find a permanent home address and speak to his GP to see what kind of unpaid work he would be able to perform.

On Armstrong’s return to court, at Newcastle, where Recorder Giuliani is now sitting, the deferred sentencing hearing was told he had complied with the challenges put to him three months earlier.

Recorder Giuliani told Armstrong’s representative, Michele Turner: “I’m pleased to read that he complied with everything I asked of him.

“I’ve read of the extensive efforts he’s made to find housing and that he will be able to do unpaid work.”

Ms Turner said: “It’s something he would welcome and sees it as a next-step to get into a pattern of work.”

The Recorder told Armstrong: “It’s pleasing to see that through your own efforts you have dome everything I asked of you.

“It’s heartening to read that you are no longer considered to require a drug rehabilitation requirement because you have taken advantage of the assistance of Human Kind substance misuse service.”

Read next:

Banned driver went wrong way on A19 in County Durham in police chase

Late night chase at up to 114mph went from County Durham to Sunderland

Drink driver arrested after 80-mph chase in Shiney Row

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Because of Armstrong’s response, Recorder Giuliani said he would not impose an immediate prison sentence.

He imposed a prison sentence of 15 months, suspended for 18 months, during which Armstrong must complete 100 hours’ unpaid work and attend up to 40 Probation Service-led rehabilitation activity days.

A driving disqualification of 12 months was added to the sentence by Recorder Giuliani, who warned Armstrong that failure to comply with the various elements of the suspended sentence would put him at risk of having the prison term activated.