A DANGEROUS driver went into ‘panic mode’ during a 'prolonged and persistent' high-speed police pursuit on the A595, a court heard.

Joshua Turner, of St. Luke's Street, Barrow, will be sentenced in the New Year after admitting counts of dangerous driving, driving without a licence, driving without third-party insurance and failing to stop for police.

The case came before magistrates on November 13 following a pre-sentence report.

Prosecutor Lee Dacre outlined the facts of the case to magistrates.

He said: “On April 29, at 00:05 am, two officers were in an armed response vehicle when they noticed the defendant accelerating at high speeds from Broughton.

“Officers pursued the vehicle towards Grizebeck where they witnessed the vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road and around sharp bends at speeds between 40 – 50 mph in a 30-mph zone.”

The court was shown police dashcam footage of the chase which lasted between two and three minutes. 

The pursuit culminated in the 22-year-old defendant driving his Vauxhall Crossland onto a homeowner’s driveway and reversing at speed into the police vehicle in an attempt to get back onto the road, the court heard.

Dashcam footage showed that officers were forced to move their vehicle forward into the defendant to stop him from doing that.

The court was told Turner was apprehended by officers after he had attempted to run away.  

Mr Dacre told the court that Turner was under the legal limit for cannabis and Benzoylecgonine – the main metabolite of cocaine, at the time.

He added the defendant had caused damage to the armoured response vehicle, which required it to be taken off the road until it was repaired.

Police inquiries revealed Turner had also been driving without a licence and third-party insurance.

Mr Dacre described how the defendant's driving put a 'deliberate risk of danger to others' as well as being 'prolonged and persistent' 

Attempting to persuade magistrates to deal with the case in the magistrates’ court, defence solicitor Karen Templeton said: “He was in Millom with friends and had planned to come back via public transport but the offer was there to drive the vehicle.

"He should never have stepped foot in that car. He has gone into complete panic mode and has set off from them.

"He was not deliberately trying to damage the police car. He was panicked. It was a stupid thing to do.

“He is the main carer for his grandad who is 72 years old. If he is sent to prison, it would be his grandad that suffers."

Magistrates sent the case to Preston Crown Court due to having insufficient sentencing powers.

Turner will be sentenced on January 2 2025.