A man who collided with an NHS worker’s car while drug driving at speed has been jailed for a year at Bradford Crown Court.
North Yorkshire Police told the court that officers pursued the man on April 25, 2020, after he failed to stop when they asked him to pull over.
Dashcam footage showed him driving his uninsured BMW on the wrong side of the road at four roundabouts during the 20-minute pursuit, avoiding cars as he swerved into oncoming traffic, as well as driving on the wrong side of the dual carriageway and reaching speeds of up to 110mph, including in a 30mph zone.
After speeding past Airedale Hospital in Keighly, he collided with a healthcare worker who had just finished her 9-hour shift, shunting it 15 metres down the road.
The court heard that the woman has been unable to work since the accident due to the effects of the collision.
The man then attempted to escape on foot before officers caught and arrested him. He was found to be over the legal drug driving limit for both cocaine and cannabis.
Police later discovered that the car was uninsured and that the defendant had affixed registration plates belonging to a completely different vehicle.
PC Chris Howarth, of North Yorkshire Police’s Operational Support Unit, said: “This was a shocking case of dreadful driving.
“[He] showed absolutely no regard for the safety of other road users that day. The consequences of his actions were bad enough – and if it were not for the fact that there were only a few vehicles on the road due to the tight lockdown restrictions at this time, the outcome could have been even worse.”
After pleading guilty to drug driving, dangerous driving, fraudulently using a registration mark, driving without insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, he was sentenced to twelve months in prison. He was also banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to pay a £149 victim surcharge.
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