Motorist jailed after pursuit through Hartlepool ended in collision

Craig Carter managed to lose pursuing patrol cars on the A19 by driving at 120mph, Teesside Crown Court heard.

The court heard Carter was more than twice the limit at the time, with 81 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.

“A member of the public reported seeing his blue Audi being driven erratically on the southbound carriageway between Peterlee and Hartlepool,” said Jenny Haigh, prosecuting.

“He pulled into the Windmill Sambuca restaurant’s car park and stopped.

“A police officer spoke to him, but Carter sped off. There was a pursuit, during which the Audi reached 120mph. The police lost sight of the Audi as it turned towards Hartlepool on the A689.”

Carter was arrested after his car collided with a van in Victoria Street, Seaton Carew.

The 30-year-old admitted dangerous driving and driving with excess alcohol on January 16.

Andrew Teate, defending, said in mitigation: “Mr Carter had travelled to the area to meet friends, and he had no intention to drive after drinking.

“However, the jovial company became less so, glasses were thrown, so he felt he had to leave and he took the stupid decision to achieve that by driving the car. His intention then was to drive a short distance and reassess the situation, which is why he pulled into the restaurant car park. He panicked at the sight of the police car.”

Judge Stephen Ashurst jailed Carter, of Roundel Street, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, for 16 months.

The judge told him: “This was a bad sequence of driving while you were more than twice the legal alcohol limit.

“The public quite rightly would not understand if you were not sent to prison for it.”