A father-of-five led police on a high speed chase through Bristol. And there was no apparent reason for doing so, a court heard.
Police attempted to pull over Terence Maughan when they spotted him driving his Ford Mondeo in Brook Road, Whitehall, in December last year. Instead of stopping, Maughan drove off at speed, jumped red traffic lights and went on the wrong side of the road before driving up a dead end and getting arrested.
Maughan, 32, of Wynotham Street in Burnley, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving. Judge Michael Cullum handed him a nine-month jail term suspended for 18 months.
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The judge told him: "Rehabilitate yourself and break the cycle of offending. It's time to do that at your age. It is time to retire from it."
Maughan was banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to take an extended driving test. He was given 150 hours' unpaid work and up to 30 days of rehabilitation.
Robert Yates, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court Maughan sped off from police, drove on the wrong side of Whitehall Road before going on to Gordon Road and jumping a red traffic light. Having been lost to sight police saw him again on Gordon Road.
Mr Yates said: "He drove towards a railway bridge and over took some 20 stationary vehicles. He mounted the kerb through the bridge and drove on to Fishponds Road, driving on the wrong side of the road and passing a red traffic light."
The court heard another vehicle had to do an emergency stop to avoid Maughan before he turned into a dead end road, got out of his car and held his hands up.
Catherine Spedding, defending, said her client lapsed into drink and drugs after a temporary relationship problem. She said, though, that Maughan was not drink or drug driving at he time, was insured and was simply not thinking straight at the time.
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