110mph teen driver jailed over 34-MILE police chase

Alexander Donaldson, 19, was spotted by officers in his Seat hatchback in Stourbridge and sped off when they switched on their blue light.

He raced through five red lights as pursuing officers tracked him for nearly half an hour, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

A crown court recorder described it as 'one of the worst pieces of dangerous driving' he had seen.

Donaldson averaged 68mph for the duration of the pursuit.

The chase began on September 18 last year because officers thought Donaldson was in a stolen car – but it turned out he was actually driving his own vehicle which he was taxed and insured on.

They chased him along the A461, then on to the A449 on the way to Kidderminster before he started to head towards Bromsgrove.

CCTV of the chase showed him driving at 70mph in 30mph zones. Eventually Donaldson joined the M5, where he touched 110mph.

The chasing police vehicle managed to force him off the motorway at Junction 4 for Bromsgrove where he was intercepted and drove over a Stinger device.

He came to a stop soon after and was arrested – 28 minutes after the pursuit began.

Donaldson pleaded guilty to dangerous driving at an earlier hearing.

Mr Andrew Baker, defending, said: "It was a terrible piece of driving but no accident ensued.

"He says he simply panicked and has a history of making irrational decisions.

"He didn't take any opportunity to stop and it was inevitable he was going to be caught

"This is a man caught in a blind panic who just carried on."

The defendant has recently been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and also has 'a very good work record', Mr Baker added.

Donaldson, of Pine Close, Kingswinford, was jailed for eight months and also disqualified from driving.

Sentencing him, Recorder Peter Levins said: "I take no pleasure in sentencing you to prison, but send you to prison I must.

"This is one of the worst pieces of dangerous driving I've seen.

"This was not a brief escapade – it lasted 28 minutes, through town, country and motorway.

"It was late at night but there were still other people about and you went through no less than five red lights."

Recorder Levins jailed Donaldson for eight months, and banned him from driving for two years and four months.

He will have to take an extended test after the ban ends.