A dangerous driver who crashed a stolen vehicle into a police car in a desperate attempt to avoid arrest has been locked up.

Colin Readshaw damaged other vehicles as he raced around residential areas attempting to shake off the pursuing police officers.

The 32-year-old was eventually arrested when he was chased down by a police dog after abandoning the stolen Fiat 500 in Middlesbrough.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said Readshaw already had a lengthy record of offending, including previous for driving offences, before setting off in the stolen car.

He said: “The police went into a local tennis centre, they saw the stolen vehicle and drove towards it with the lights activated and at that point the car reversed into the police vehicle at low-speed.

“The officer said it was deliberate to avoid them before making off. There was a police pursuit where the vehicle was driven dangerously.”

Mr Dryden said Readshaw drove across footpaths, overtook an ambulance responding to an emergency and doing 60mph in 30mph in the Ladgate Road area of the town before causing damage to other cars in his way.

He said the car eventually came to a halt when it was crashed into a cycle bollard before he tried to run away but was chased down by a police dog.

Colin ReadshawColin Readshaw (Image: Cleveland Police)

Readshaw, of Brough Court, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods - the Fiat 500, dangerous driving, three charges of criminal damage, driving without insurance, driving without a licence and going equipped to steal.

Gary Wood, mitigating, said his client was on remand in prison when his child was born and has acknowledged it is time to turn his life around.

He said: “The defendant has accepted some responsibility for his action in his plea and his letter.

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“He has been in and out of custody from the latter part of his teens and all of his adult life. Custody is not somewhere he wants to spend the rest of his life.”

Judge Chris Smith sentenced Readshaw to a total of 25 months for all offences.

He said: “The dangerous driving is one of the worst I have come across in recent times, it’s hard to find an aggravating feature that is not present, your record is really quite terrible.”

Readshaw was also banned from driving for three years once he is released from prison.