Man drove wrong way along dual carriageway in Coventry
AN ‘idiot’ driver sped the wrong way along a Coventry dual carriageway as he tried to get away from police because he had canisters of laughing gas in his car.
Macaulay Burke was not laughing when his antics led to him appearing at Warwick Crown Court facing a prison sentence after he had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.
But Burke, 26, of Dale Street, Coventry, could smile with relief when the judge gave him a 10-month sentence - but suspended it for 18 months, with a rehabilitation activity.
Judge Peter Cooke, who banned him from driving for two years and ordered him to pay £360 costs, warned him: “Any breach of this order, and your feet will not touch the ground.”
Prosecutor Amrisha Parathalingam said that in November last year a police sergeant was on patrol in a marked car in St James Lane, Coventry, at 4am when he saw a Peugeot coming towards him.
The Peugeot went on the wrong side of a mini-roundabout at the junction with Middle Ride, and as the sergeant turned round to follow it, Burke took a right into Remembrance Road.
A pursuit began when Burke ignored an indication from the police car to stop - and he sped past Willenhall police station, which is in a 20mph zone, at 70.
When he reached London Road, Burke turned right, ignoring a no right turn sign, and then turned left into Abbey Road, doing 60mph along the 30mph road.
He skidded and mounted the pavement before going back onto the road and came to a stop, with the door opening, before speeding off again back to London Road where he drove the wrong way along the dual carriageway.
When he reached a roundabout Burke went the wrong way round it before going back onto London Road and then crossed the central reservation to again drive on the wrong side of the dual carriageway.
He finally stopped in Tonbridge Road where he was seen running up the drive of a house and trying to climb over a gate.
But he fell back, and as he was arrested he complained that he had injured his knee - which he had dislocated.
The Peugeot was his, and he was insured, but Burke, who had a previous conviction for excess alcohol, explained he had sped away because he had canisters of laughing gas in the car.
Jaspreet Dhaliwal, defending, sad: “Mr Burke wishes to offer his deepest and sincere apologies.
“He accepts how appalling his driving was. He accepts he was quite fortunate there was no collision, which there would have been if there had been heavier traffic.
“He was bed-bound for four months after this incident because of the injury, and he required two reconstructive surgeries on his knee and physiotherapy.
“He was unable to work for the last few months, but returned to work in the last week or so,” said Mr Dhaliwal, who added that Burke had worked for the NHS during the pandemic.
Judge Cooke commented: “This is a young man who behaved irresponsibly and without regard for other road-users by driving with excess alcohol on a previous occasion and has now escalated his behaviour in a way which would have been lethal to anyone in his way.”
And he told Burke: “You have heard me express the view I take of your gross irresponsibility.
“Had it not been four o’clock in the morning, the chances are you would have come across another road-user and killed them.
“There was also a police officer who no doubt would have liked to go home to his family without putting his life at risk by having to pursue an idiot like you.
“Normally this would require an immediate custodial sentence, but I have narrowly decided I am not obliged to take such a step today.
“There is an altogether more positive side to you, and I am not just dealing with the irresponsible idiot, but also with the responsibly Macaulay Burke.”