Motorist 'damaged police car in late night chase along M6 and through Wolverhampton'
A police car was damaged and tyre stingers were used before a car chase came to an end, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
Appearing via video link from HMP Birmingham, 28-year-old Craig Edwards pleaded guilty to dangerous driving on July 10.
Prosecutor Mr Geoffrey Dann described how the defendant was pursued by police up the M6 northbound, along the Black Country Route and Bentley Mill Way.
Despite one tyre on the Vauxhall Vectra being flat after police's deployment of stingers, and an attempt to block Edwards and his passengers in on the Bentley bridge, he continued his getaway by swerving past and damaging a police car.
Edwards had already been serving an eight month and 85 day sentence for previous offences, but Judge Amjad Nawaz sentenced him to 10 months imprisonment to be served concurrently.
Giving details of the offences, Mr Dann said: "At 3am on Sunday, July 10, police officers were on duty in a marked police car on the M6.
"They had received reports of a Vauxhall Vectra car that had made off from officers in the Willenhall area, and had details from automatic number plate recognition.
"The car appeared to stop as it approached junction 10 of the M6, and pulled into the near lane."
Mr Dann described how the driver then appeared to change his mind. "It then pulled back on to the road and drove off.
"A police stinger device was deployed, and the Vauxhall was stung, but it continued on to the Black Country Route. It then turned on to Bentley Mill Way.
"One of the tyres had been punctured and it was clear to police that it was swerving and it was not in control.
"Police attempted to block it in on the bridge over the Black Country Route, but it swerved the police car and caused damaged to it.
"It was stopped by a police vehicle that parked in front of it."
Representing Edwards, Miss Jodie Smith said: "He has suffered considerably from mental health problems.
"For many years he had undiagnosed schizophrenia, for which he was only recently diagnosed.
"Thankfully it was in the early hours so it would have been relatively quiet on the roads.
"He said he panicked as soon as police asked him to stop, panicked when he thought about what might happen."
In addition to his prison sentence, Edwards has been disqualified from driving for a total of 35 months.
He also pleaded guilty to driving otherwise in accordance with a licence and with no insurance, for which his licence has been endorsed.
