Arrogant motorist jailed for 'worst case' of dangerous driving
An 'arrogant' young motorist who drove at speeds of up to 95mph in sleet and rain in a bid to escape police has been jailed.
During the chase, Tray Johnson, from Wolverhampton, failed to stop after colliding with another car at Gailey island, Stafford Crown Court heard.
The 22-year-old was at the wheel of a hired Mercedes which a friend had left at his address the night before because he had been drinking. Johnson decided to return it to him 'to help out', despite having only a provisional licence and no insurance, the court heard.
The judge was shown police dashcam footage of Johnson's driving on the A5, including his collision with the blue Honda at the junction with the A449 on January 21 at around 10.15am. Officers called off the pursuit because of the danger to other motorists but caught up with him after the Mercedes crashed into a hedge.
Johnson, a first-year student at Staffordshire University, had previous convictions but he had been working hard to turn his life around, said Ms Lucinda Wilmott-Lascelles, defending. She claimed he had simply made 'a stupid decision' and was remorseful for his actions.
But Recorder Benjamin Nicholls described it as one of the worst cases of dangerous driving he had come across.
He told Johnson: "I'm sick of decent law-abiding motorists being put at risk by arrogant young men like you who drive at high speeds, showing off, and then try to outrun the police, putting other road users at risk of death in the process."
Johnson, originally of Ashbourne Road, Wolverhampton, who was living in student accommodation in Hanley, admitted dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, driving with no licence or insurance and failing to stop after an accident.
He was jailed for 12 months and disqualified from driving for two years on his release.
