Mikey Callum Lewis was jailed for 38 weeks for dangerous driving
A MAN has been jailed for an episode of "insanely dangerous driving" which saw him careering through residential streets in Swansea at speeds topping 50mph while overtaking vehicles and driving on the wrong side of the road.
A judge has said it was "fortuitous" that Mikey Callum Lewis and the three passengers in his car — none of whom were wearing seatbelts — as well as other road users were not injured or killed.
The dangerous driving was committed while Lewis was on bail for attempting to steal a motorbike — an offence which was itself committed while he was the subject of a suspended sentence.
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Rhys Thomas, for the prosecution, told Swansea Crown Court that in October this year Lewis and another man armed with bolt-cutters had been seen trying to steal a recently purchased Yamaha bike from outside flats on High Street, Swansea.
The men ran-off but were chased by police, and Lewis was caught near Constitution Hill.
Then at around midday on December 5 — while on bail for the motorbike offence — Lewis was seen at th wheel of a Ford Ka on Caebricks Road in Cwmbwrla.
The court heard that a passing police officer's attention was drawn to the car by the fact none of the four people inside were wearing seatbelts.
But when the officer tried stop the Ka it "drove off at speed", driving along Manselton Road and St John's Road in Manselton at speeds exceeding 50mph, going through junctions without slowing down, overtaking vans and cars and forcing oncoming vehicles to swerve out of the way.
The men then abandoned the car on nearby waste ground and made-off — Lewis was found following a search involving officers and the force helicopter.
Lewis, of Rosehill Terrace, Mount Pleasant, had previously pleaded guilty to attempted theft, dangerous driving, failing to stop and driving without a licence or insurance when he appeared in the dock for sentencing today.
The court heard he has 23 convictions for 46 previous offences.
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David Singh, for Lewis, said his client — who has never passed a driving test — had bought the car intending to drive it off-road and had "panicked" when the police officer tried to stop him for not wearing a seat belt.
His Honour Judge HuwDavies QC described the defendant's driving on the day in question as "insanely dangerous" and said the consequences could have been grave for those in the Ka and for other road users.
He said: "It is no thanks to you thank nobody was injured - it was purely fortuitous."
The judge activated 16 weeks of the defendant's previously imposed suspected sentence to run consecutively with 20 weeks for the dangerous driving and two weeks for the attempted theft making a total of 38 weeks. He also disqualified Lewis from driving 12 months and ordered him to take an extended driving test if he ever wanted to get a licence in the future.
Read more: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Jail-insanely-dangerous-driving-Swansea-streets/story-28437056-detail/story.html#ixzz3vjtVx03p
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