No-licence teenage driver led police on chase after smoking a joint
A drugged-up danger driver who led police on a chase was read the riot act for "hurtling around in a ton of metal" after smoking a joint.
Callum Aston, aged 19, from Wolverhampton, who has never passed a driving test, was behind the wheel of a Hyundai Tucson in Rudge Heath, near Bridgnorth, doing at least 80mph.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that he carried out a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre and entered a roundabout before another vehicle.
Police deployed a stinger to burst the tyres on the Hyundai, prompting Aston to drive into a field. He ditched the vehicle and made off on foot, but when an officer closed in on him he gave up fleeing.
Aston, of Selbourne Crescent, Wolverhampton, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possession of cannabis, driving without a licence and driving without insurance. He had one previous conviction from youth court in 2019 for possession of cannabis and possession of a knife.
His defence solicitor told Judge Anthony Lowe that Aston "regrets very much" his actions and is "remorseful". She also said his "thinking skills need addressing".
Judge Lowe said that the fact Aston had been driving at 80mph having smoked at least one joint "doesn't engender a great deal of confidence".
He told Aston: "I think you need to be careful. Slowly but surely you are beginning to amass a criminal record that is going to cause you problems going forward. To say there were poor decisions here would be an understatement.
"I don't think people realise how dangerous a car is. It's a ton of metal hurtling around. The problem with driving is 99 times out of 100, nothing happens and it's totally without incident. Driving at 80mph, if there had been a problem, it's going to end in a serious injury or a fatality.
"I cannot overstate how dangerous cars are, even at 40 or 50mph. You were hurtling around at 80mph having smoked at least one joint of cannabis. That is a bad cocktail of factors. You are lucky that nothing untoward happened."
Aston was sentenced to an 18-month community order including 150 hours of unpaid work. He was also disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay £500 in court costs.
