“It was clearly a dreadful piece of driving"
Ahmed Mehboob, aged 24, of Normanton, Derby, was jailed for one year after leading police on a drug-fuelled pursuit. Terrified motorists swerved out of the way to avoid crashing into the banned driver.
Derby Crown Court heard that the offence happened between Spondon and Risley at around 11:30 am on January 20, 2020.
Samuel Lowne, prosecuting, said Mehboob was spotted by a police car in Arnhem Terrace which followed him on to Craddock Avenue, Langley Road and Borrowfield Road.
As soon as he saw the officer following him, Mehboob fled.
He accelerated away, driving through Borrowash at 80mph while cars swerved to avoid a collision.
The police vehicle lost sight of Mehboob, however, it was revealed he reached speeds of 107mph.
Mr Lowne explained: “The defendant enters Risley at 80mph and pulls into Second Avenue where it comes to a stop when he crashed into a garden.
“Members of the public point the police car in the direction of the collision and the defendant flees on foot jumping over fences and into gardens, discarding clothing.
“He is found sat at a bus stop 100 yards away from the crash site and has the keys to the vehicle in his pocket.”
Mehboob, who was serving a driving ban, was tested and found to be more than twice the legal limit for cannabis.
He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while over the legal limit for cannabis, driving while disqualified, without insurance and possession of a Class B drug.
Mehboob also pleaded guilty to drug-driving when he was found to be more than twice the legal limit for cannabis near Peterborough on October 25, 2019.
In mitigation, Chris Hallas said his client had split up from his girlfriend and was sleeping in a car at the time of the chase.
Since then, he has reconciled with his family, hopes to rekindle his relationship with his ex-partner and was working as a trainee barber.
Mr Hallas said: “It is impossible to mitigate that driving and impossible to mitigate the circumstances which resulted in this behaviour and the mindset of this young man when he drove in the way that he did.”
Judge Shaun Smith QC told the banned driver:
“It was clearly a dreadful piece of driving, beginning with you undertaking a vehicle on the pavement.
“You reached 90mph in a 30mph between Spondon and Borrowash and went through Borrowash at 80mph.
“You went at more than 100 mph (between Borrowash and Risley).
“This was in the middle of the day when then streets were busy.”
“You carried out a number of seriously dangerous overtaking manoeuvres and some of the vehicles had to stop and pull on to the pavement themselves in the hope you would not hit them.
“The police officer was doing more than 100mph and he was not even gaining on you.
“The question I have to ask myself is if I can suspend this sentence but I would be failing in my public duty if this sentence was not immediate custody.”
Derby Telegraph reported that Mehboob was jailed for one year. He was also banned from driving for 18 months.
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