Drug-driver led police on pursuit at 100mph

A DANGEROUS driver led police on a 100mph chase on rural roads and through villages when high on cocaine.

Officers were unable to keep up with Danny Porter at various times during a pursuit that lasted nearly an hour, Leicester Crown Court was told.

The 31-year-old admitted dangerously driving a Mercedes C-class in Earl Shilton, Desford, Newbold Heath and Newbold Verdon in the early hours of October 25.

Porter, of Houston Lodge, Burbage Common Road, Hinckley, also admitted driving over the speed limit, when under the influence of the class A drug.

Tom Welshman, prosecuting, said the defendant’s offending included travelling at between 80mph and 100mph in 30mph zones.

The pursuit began at 2am, when Porter failed to stop for officers on the A47 in Earl Shilton.

The defendant eventually gave up and stopped near Newbold Verdon at 2.55am.

Porter was arrested and tested positive for cocaine at the police station.

Mr Welshman said Porter had a previous conviction for dangerous driving in 2009 and was prosecuted in Germany in 2017 for driving after consuming excess alcohol.

Judge Ebraham Mooncey said: “It was a prolonged piece of bad driving by any stretch of the imagination with an illegal drug in your system.

“You told the police you panicked when you saw them. You were not only endangering the lives of other people and the police conducting the chase but your own.”

Ashraf Khan, mitigating, said: “His life was in complete disarray.”

He said Porter became depressed in 2019 following the break up of his relationship and started taking drugs to cope with his problems.

Mr Khan said: “He accepts he took cocaine, offered to him by a friend, before he got into the car because he was feeling low.

“Having taken the drug he decided to have a drive to clear his head.

“When the police spotted him he just panicked, but there came a time when he realised it wasn’t going to work and he needed to face up to what he’d done.

“He was full admissions.”

No damage was caused and noone was hurt, said Mr Khan. Porter was jailed for six months. He was banned from driving for 21 months. and frank in his