A DANGEROUS driver who attempted to evade police in a ten-minute pursuit was ‘fortunate’ not to have caused a serious accident after hitting speeds of 90 mph in residential areas, a court heard.

Connor Hornby, 24, of South Row in Barrow, was sentenced at Preston Crown Court on April 12 after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

Prosecutor Peter Barr said PC Taylor was on mobile patrol on the streets of Barrow at around 3:45am on July 15 2022 in an unmarked police car when he saw a blue Audi Q3 making off at speed from the Strawberry Pub in Barrow.

The court heard the officer pursued the defendant, then aged 21, with four other males in the car for around ten minutes around Abbey Road, Oxford Street, Harrogate Street, Victoria Road, Ainslie Street and West View Road in Barrow.

Mr Barr said: “The defendant failed to stop at red traffic lights and give way at junctions. He was captured on police footage to be travelling at speeds of 90 mph in residential areas.

“On Oxford Street the defendant was seen to be driving on the wrong side of the road at 80 mph in a 30mph zone.”

Mr Barr said four males ran away from the police when the car was stopped. He said the registered keeper of the vehicle was contacted and the defendant was soon after arrested.

The court heard the defendant said those in the car were encouraging him to drive at speed.

Mr Barr said Hornby had previously been disqualified from driving for 12 months after being caught drink driving.

In mitigation, Tom Lord, said his client had developed a level of maturity since the commission of the offence.

He added: “He is an entirely salvageable young man. He is sincerely remorseful, has had time to reflect on his offending and is worthy of a chance of a suspended sentence.

“I concede driving at three times the national speed limit in residential areas is an enormous aggravated feature.

“Having been discharged from the army, he has disassociated himself from his peers.

“In his youthful comments of peer pressure being to blame, he has not tried to apportion the blame from anyone other than himself.  

“He is seeking to work for BAE Systems but is currently working in roofing and cladding.”

Sentencing Hornby to a 36-week suspended sentence for two years, Recorder Ayeshi Siddiqi said: “Your actions could have had serious consequences for the passengers in the vehicle, for anyone else driving on the road, or any pedestrians.

“You drove in a completely dangerous manner. You made deliberate actions to refuse the rules of the road.

“This was a prolonged and persistence course of dangerous driving in which you tried to evade the police.

“It is very fortunate no harm was caused.”

As part of the suspended sentence, Hornby was required to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.

He was also disqualified from driving for 18 months and ordered to take an extended driving test after the disqualification.