A man under the influence of cocaine, who was using a car borrowed from a friend to sleep in, tried to flee from police who spotted the uninsured vehicle in a store car park late at night.

Durham Crown Court heard that a constable, on mobile patrol in Stanley, noticed the Honda Civic, which was “flagged up” as having no insurance, in the Asda car park at 11.40pm on Monday, June 19, last year.

Martin Towers, prosecuting, said the officer turned around and began to follow the car, activating his vehicle’s blue lights, as it drove off from the car park in an apparent effort to evade arrest.

Mr Towers said the officer described the pursuit which followed as lasting just under two minutes.

The Northern Echo: Darren Robson, jailed for 16 months for dangerous driving police pursuit while under the influence

The defendant turned into Front Street, in Stanley, before taking a roundabout at high speed and, on Rotary Way, he undercut another vehicle, while travelling at 80-miles per hour in what was a 40-limit zone.

Mr Towers said having taken another roundabout onto Station Road, Robson was driving at 50-mph in a 30-limit area, then, again, accelerated up to 80.

He turned right across the path of an oncoming car, nearly causing a collision, then turned into Badger’s Wood, almost hitting a further vehicle.

The Honda came to a halt and Robson tried to get out of the driver’s side of the vehicle, but he was arrested and made no comment when interviewed.

A positive reading was given from a roadside drug ‘swipe’ test, while a formal blood test procedure at the police station showed the defendant as being 16 times over the legal limit for a cocaine breakdown product, and also three times over the limit for cocaine, itself.

Mr Towers said the Honda was found to have been fitted with space-saver tyres which meant he should not have exceeded 50 mph.

The Northern Echo:

The 40-year-old defendant, of Denton View, Blaydon, in Gateshead, admitted dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and without insurance, plus two counts of driving with the level of drugs in his system above the legal limit.

Mr Towers said Robson has 68 past convictions, many for motoring matters, including seven for driving while disqualified going back to the year 2000.

At the time of the latest offence, the defendant was banned from driving for previously failing to provide a test for analysis, as well as being the subject of a community order, which was still in force, arising from another drug-driving case.

David Callan, in mitigation, said the defendant was aware he is facing a prison sentence for his latest offending.

“He accepts this was not good driving, but I would point out the chase was only two minutes and no damage was caused to any person or property, and, he did stop of his own volition.

“He was homeless at the time as he had a row with his long-standing partner and was using his friend’s car to sleep in.

“The police came and he was in the car park and there was a short chase.”

Mr Callan said it had to be accepted that the defendant’s response to probation supervision in the past has been “poor”.

But he said his client suffers with depression and now, “very much wants to settle down”, with his family in new accommodation.

“He wants to do his sentence, keep his head down and look after his family when he gets out.”

Recorder Mark McKone told Mr Callan: “He’s someone who seems to completely ignore the fact he’s disqualified from driving.”

Mr Callan replied: “It would be difficult for me to counter an argument to that, being realistic.”

Passing sentence, Recorder McKone told Robson that within the space of the two-minute pursuit, as he drove at high-speed, he nearly caused two collisions, while on tyres for which it is considered unsafe to travel at above 50mph.

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“At 40 you have many convictions for driving while disqualified which shows me you have a total disregard for the driving laws and it doesn’t bother you at all that you were not permitted to drive.

“I’ll pass a sentence for dangerous driving reflecting the fact you were disqualified and impaired by drugs.”

Imposing a 16-month prison sentence, Recorder McKone also banned Robson from driving for three years and eight months.