A dangerous driver was jailed on his 30th birthday after an 80mph chase with police.
Ryan Lake "regarded the road as his own" and reached these high speeds in a 30mph zone, despite not even having a licence. The pursuit only ended when he crashed his car.
Liverpool Crown Court heard yesterday, Thursday, that the dad drew the attention of police after overtaking an unmarked patrol car at speed on the M62 westbound at around 4pm on January 18 this year. Ryan Lake, from Warrington, also undertook several other vehicles while a 17-year-old family member and her friend rode as passengers.
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Checks also revealed that the Volkswagen Passat had been reported as stolen in August the previous year and was being driven with fake registration plates, although he claimed to have recently purchased it in Manchester and was not charged in relation to the theft. He then left the motorway at St Helens as the police chase began.
Lake drove on the wrong side of the road, through red lights and no-entry signs and took a blind junction at 40mph. His car came to a halt after he collided with a curb.
The motorist was then found to only have a provisional licence, while roadside tests detected cannabis in his system. But he refused to provide a blood sample once in custody, claiming to be scared of needles.
Lake - who has 18 convictions for 27 offences, this being his first since 2018 - admitted dangerous driving, driving without insurance, driving without a licence and failing to provide a specimen. The former warehouse worker had been hoping to start a new job in construction, defence barrister Olivia Beesley told the court.
She added that her client was taken into care as a child and provides his poorly grandma with daily care. Ms Beesley said: "The defendant knows he's at real risk of custody today.
"The question is whether the court can suspend the sentence or not. There are no ways to mitigate.
"Mr Lake knows that the best he can offer is remorse today. He is truly remorseful for his actions.
"He wants to get his life back on track."
Lake, of Banks Crescent in Latchford, was jailed for 10 months and banned from driving for two years and five months. Sentencing, Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "You were on the roads driving without a licence and insurance for an unspecified period of time.
"You panicked because you weren't insured and didn't have a licence. I've just seen the footage, which shows the reality of your driving.
"It was quite shocking driving. It was sustained.
"You just regarded that road as your own and didn't have any regard for anyone else on it. Time and time again, other motorists had to take evasive action.
"This was just sustained dangerous driving. These offence, in all the circumstances, demand an immediate custodial sentence and that's what must happen today."
Lake was also told to pay a victim surcharge.
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