Banned driver led police on chase at double speed limit
A banned driver who led police on a chase while reaching speeds of up to double the limit has kept his freedom.
Danny Shale had a female passenger inside his van which he drove recklessly along Queen Alexandra Road in Sunderland.
Newcastle Crown Court heard that the 29-year-old's driving also caused damage to a separate parked car which triggered the police chase.
Prosecutor Neil Jones said a police officer was on patrol at around midnight on May 27, 2020, when his attention was drawn to a Ford Transit van.
The court was told the male driver, who was Shale,
tried to conceal his face as he drove past the officer, who then began to follow him.
Shale, who was banned until July 2021 for a previous
matter, began to drive away and lost control of the van before beginning to serve.
The court also heard he hit the stationary Renault Capture
which caused its wing mirror to break off onto the road and its glass shatter.
The police officer described hearing a "bang" before noticing the defendant driving on the wrong side of the road.
Mr Jones added: "The police officer then activated his emergency equipment in order to signal for the transit van to stop.
"He accelerated to about 60mph, the speed limit on Queen Alexandra Road is 30mph.
"They continued to follow the van. The van continued to travel at high speeds using the wrong side of the road."
Mr Jones said the pursuit, which lasted around five minutes, ended shortly afterwards before Shale got out of the driver's side and made off on foot, close to Canon Cockin Street.
He had the keys to the van in his hand but was stopped by a different officer soon afterwards.
Shale, of Canon Cockin Street in Hendon, Sunderland, has 14 convictions against his name and admitted dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified.
Andrew Walker, defending, said his client had been out of trouble since the incident and was in a position to carry out unpaid work.
Mr Recorder Wheeler noted that Shale had been on a qualifying curfew for 460 days since May of last year which would have counted towards any custodial sentence.
He imposed a community order and issued a further period of disqualification.