Man fled from cops hours before his driving test
A motorist drove dangerously at speeds of almost 70mph as he fled from police just hours before he was due to take his driving test, a court heard.
Khalil Jackson raced through traffic lights, overtook other vehicles and went round a traffic island all on the wrong side of the road, it was said.
The 21-year-old “panicked” and sped away when a police patrol car on the way to another incident pulled up behind him in Smethwick, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
The pursuit began in the early hours of June 7 this year on Hagley Road West and continued into Bearwood Road, and on through traffic lights at Sandon Road on the wrong side of the carriageway.
CCTV footage played in court showed a car travelling in the opposite direction having to swerve out of the way to avoid a head-on collision. Jackson’s speeds increased as he continued along Linden Road and Waterloo Road before he drove on the wrong side of the roundabout into Grange Road, said Mr Thomas Griffiths, prosecuting.
The chase came to an end in Sycamore Road when the defendant lost control of the car and smashed into another vehicle, causing it to bounce into another car. Both vehicles, a Mercedes and an Audi, were damaged.
The pursuit had lasted for a minute and a half, covering more than a mile through residential roads, reaching a top speed of 69mph, said Mr Griffiths. The court heard that Jackson had been due to take his driving test later that same day having passed his theory test.
He had been out with friends just before the incident and had “foolishly and impulsively” decided to drive himself home, his barrister said.
Jackson was on the autistic spectrum and also suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder which may go some way to explaining his spur-of-the-moment action, the court was told.
Jackson, of Gleave Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham, pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving. He was handed an eight-month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to take part in 20 days of rehabilitation activities.
He was also put under a curfew between 7pm to 7am for four months and disqualified from driving for 18 months.
In sentencing, Recorder Stuart Sprawson told him: “You couldn’t wait for another 24 hours to take your practical driving test.”
He added: “You chose to drive at vast speeds though suburban streets at speeds near to 70mph at times. It was more by luck than anything to do with you that no one was injured.”
