A father-of-two fuelled by drink and drugs led police on a 104mph car chase narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with officers.
Timothy Smith, 35, from Wrexham, was today jailed for eight months and banned from driving for 16 months after pleading guilty to a string of offences, including dangerous driving.
Mold Crown Court heard how the defendant had used the McDonald’s drive-thru in Bangor at around 12.30am on June 14 and according to staff appeared to be under the influence of drink or drugs.
Police then saw Smith driving on the A4087 at Y Felinheli at 1.55am but as officers overtook him to get him to stop he sped past them.
Anna Pope, prosecuting, said the defendant at one point did a U-turn and drove straight towards a police car.
She told the court: “Fearing a collision police swerved out of the way.”
Ms Pope said Smith continued towards Caernarfon, also using the A487, and driving at speeds of 104mph in a 70mph area and 75mph in a 40mph zone.
He turned left at Plas Menai Water Centre and stopped as the road was a dead end before trying to put the car in reverse.
Ms Pope said: “Officers smashed the glass and took hold of the defendant to stop him. They said he smelt of intoxicants.”
The charges
Smith, of Wrexham Road, Johnstown, was arrested at 2.05am and later charged with dangerous driving, failing to stop, failing to cooperate with a breath test and a drug swab test, and driving without insurance and a licence.
The court heard he had taken his partner’s Peugeot 307 without permission, although she did not make a complaint.
Dafydd Roberts, defending, said his client was genuinely remorseful for an “appalling piece of driving”.
He told the court: “He has accepted everything the officers have said. He said he’s let himself down and he’s let his family down.”
Defendant took sleeping tablets
Mr Roberts said Smith suffers from mental health problems and “in one of these episodes” had consumed alcohol and taken sleeping tablets before getting behind the wheel.
He explained that Smith, who has 11 convictions for 32 offences, and his partner had set up home and launched a salon business in Wrexham, adding: “He moved to North Wales to get away from the lifestyle he was leading and criminality in south England.”
Judge Niclas Parry told Smith: “You were clearly under the influence of drink and drugs. You turned the vehicle around and drove towards a police vehicle and they had to take evasive action to avoid a collision.”
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