A drug driver high on cocaine sped from police in Northallerton but crashed after losing control of his vehicle following a series of dangerous overtaking manoeuvres.
Luke Hudson, 20, reached speeds of 90mph in restricted zones during the short police chase in which he drove on the wrong side of the road, York Crown Court heard.
Hudson ultimately lost control of the Nissan Juke as he turned left at the junction of Marage Road in Thirsk and crashed into street furniture including a road sign on the opposite side of the road.
Prosecutor Joe Culley said that Hudson and two male passengers got out of the vehicle and ran into nearby woods. An officer gave chase and found Hudson hiding behind a hedge.
The arresting officers noticed that Hudson’s “eyes were glazed” and that he was unsteady on his feet.
He was taken into custody where a blood test revealed he was over the specified limit for cocaine and Benzoylecgonine, a cocaine-breakdown product.
He was charged with dangerous driving, two counts of drug-driving, aggravated vehicle taking and driving without insurance and a licence. He admitted all the offences apart from aggravated vehicle-taking which was ultimately dropped by the prosecution.
Hudson, of Kings Gardens, Sowerby, appeared for sentence on Friday, April 5.
Mr Culley said that “significant” damage had been caused to street furniture and the vehicle.
Hudson was 17 years of age at the time of the incident which occurred at about 9.20pm on November 19, 2022, after a police officer had been alerted to an “incident in the centre of Northallerton” involving three young men.
A CCTV operator kept track of Hudson and his two cohorts after they had been spoken to by police and at 9.20pm the Nissan Juke, driven by Hudson, was seen in the car park of the Tesco supermarket in Northallerton.
As Hudson drove away from the car park he was kept under observation and a traffic constable was told to be on the look-out for the Nissan because there were concerns the driver wasn’t insured.
The officer spotted the Nissan on the B1448 in Northallerton and switched on the siren and blue lights, but Hudson failed to stop and police gave chase.
Mr Culley said Hudson was driving at speeds “up to 90mph in a 60mph zone, travelling on the wrong side of the road”.
He then sped through a 30mph zone at high speeds on the wrong side of the road, overtaking other vehicles as it approached the junction with Marage Road in a 40mph zone, where it lost control as Hudson “braked heavily” and took a left turn before crashing into the road sign.
“In total, the pursuit lasted 40-to-45 seconds,” said Mr Culley.
Defence counsel was spared the need for mitigation after judge Simon Hickey said he was prepared to give Hudson a chance to stay out of jail because of his age, the fact that he had held down a job and the “vast” delay in his case reaching court.
Hudson was given a 10-month suspended prison sentence with 80 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation-activity days. He was ordered to pay £425 costs and was banned from driving for 12 months.
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