Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Dangerous driver gets jail sentence
POLICE officers abandoned their pursuit of a motorist due to the speed and manner of his dangerous driving, Dundee Sheriff Court was told.
Mark Cussick, 38, of Castlecary Gardens, in Whitfield, drove at excessive speed through a red traffic light and on the opposing carriageway, forcing other drivers to take evasive action to avoid a collision on Monday.
He also failed to stop when requested to do so by police in a marked vehicle which was displaying its flashing lights and sounding its siren, depute fiscal Marie Irvine told the court.
The officers eventually gave up the chase due to the danger to the public and he was arrested at his home the next day.
Ms Irvine told the court police had been given anonymous information that the accused was in a city centre pub and was to be driving a vehicle. She said CCTV cameras were monitored and the accused was seen to leave the pub and enter a small white van in St Andrews Street.
The CCTV operators saw him travelling through various streets from Seagate and officers in a marked police vehicle saw him travelling up Hilltown and into McDonald Street.
She said they caught up with him, activated their siren and blue flashing lights and the accused sped off and failed to stop, travelling at high speed.
Ms Irvine said another police vehicle then took up the chase but he was travelling “very fast” in an effort to evade the police, driving past stationary vehicles at a red traffic light and in the face of oncoming traffic on the other carriageway, forcing them to take evasive action.
Cussick admitted charges of driving while disqualified and without insurance.
He further admitted driving dangerously at excessive speed for the road and conditions, failing to stop when requested to do so by a police officer, overtaking stationary vehicles at a red light, entering the opposing carriageway and causing oncoming vehicles to take evasive action to avoid a collision and failing to comply with a red traffic light, all while on bail.
Sheriff John Rafferty jailed Cussick for nine months and disqualified him from driving for 27 months, telling him he must pass the extended driving test before being allowed to drive again.