Mercedes driver led police on 120mph A470 chase
SPEEDS of up to 120mph were reached by a driver involved in a chase with police on the A470.
Shane Price, 33, was pursued by police from the Coryton Interchange in Cardiff to the junction for Abercynon before he drove off the road and back on to the wrong side of the carriageway.
He took two roundabouts on the wrong side of the road before the vehicle was stopped by police cars.
The incident took place on June 17 at 2.45am, a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court was told on Monday.
Prosecutor Laura Shepherd said an officer saw the black Mercedes driven by Price, which had recently failed to stop, heading in the direction of Merthyr Tydfil on the A470. The vehicle was driving as fast as 120mph in 50mph zones, so police put a stinger device at the junction for Abercynon.
Despite the stinger device spiking the defendant’s tyres, he continued driving and mounted the grass verge and drove around the roundabout and down a slip road on the wrong side.
Price then continued to drive down the wrong side of the carriageway and continued on to the A472 to Nelson before returning to the right side of the road.
As the car slowed down due to the condition of the tyres, the Mercedes was brought to a controlled stop by police but Price tried to escape and damaged a police vehicle in the process.
He was detained in the driver’s seat and arrested. He later made a full admission in interview.
Price, of North Avenue, Tredegar, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without insurance and without a licence.
The court also heard he had previous convictions for driving offences and had previously been disqualified from driving.
Defence barrister Jeffrey Jones said traffic was light on the road at the time Price was speeding and no one was injured as a result of his behaviour.
Mr Jones also said Price had successfully “kicked” his heroin habit.
Sentencing, Recorder Greg Bull QC said: “The driving that has described to the court was appalling.
“I know the roads along which you drove very well and there are speed restrictions on them, some of them are 50mph and they are for a very long period of road.
“Something had happened to trigger you to speed along the A470 and that had been an attempt by the police to pursue you. You could have killed yourself or a police officer but mercifully you were no risk to anyone else.”
Price was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment and was disqualified from driving for two years.