A MOTORIST led police on a terrifying, high-speed chase across Flintshire because he wanted to be locked up in his local police station, a court heard.
When police started following Leon Patrick Jones, 20, towards Prestatyn he did an about-turn and drove at speeds of 100mph down the A55 towards Wrexham.
He eventually pulled up in a pub car park at Hope after two attempts to stop him using a stinger device failed.
Interviewed, Jones said his two passengers were frightened. He told police he was not going to stop and wanted to get home, prosecutor Paulinus Barnes told Mold Crown Court, sitting at Chester.
Interviewed at Wrexham Police Station, he said: “I would rather spend the night here than spend the night in Prestatyn.”
Jones, of Brynteg Crescent, Brynteg, Wrexham, admitted dangerous driving following the 20-minute chase.
Judge Niclas Parry told him: “This was an appalling piece of dangerous driving, aggravated by the distance and the prolonged period over which it took place.”
There had been a police chase and Jones ignored blue lights, he said.
But he had pleaded guilty, co-operated with the police, fortunately there was no collision or damage and he had not been in any trouble for three years.
In the circumstances he was given a 36-week youth custody sentence, suspended for 12 months and was placed on supervision.
He was sent on a thinking skills course and was ordered to do 200 hours’ unpaid work.
The judge banned him from driving for two years and ordered him to take an extended driving test. There was no separate penalty for no licence and no insurance.
The court heard two traffic patrol officers were in a marked police car on the A548 coast road near Talacre when they saw a Peugeot Coupé approach.
Police believed the driver was trying not to look at them.
They turned around and followed the vehicle towards Prestatyn.
He drove off at speed as he entered Gronant but then did an about-turn and headed back towards Talacre.
He ignored police blue lights and drove the wrong way around a roundabout, reaching 100mph.
He stopped at red traffic lights but then drove towards Holywell doing 80mph in a 30mph zone.
The traffic was very heavy on the A55 as he drove towards Chester but he reached speeds of 100mph.
He left the A55 at Dobshill and went around a roundabout the wrong way – later telling police it was to save time – and then drove against traffic on a short piece of dual-carriageway.
He reached speeds of 90mph and 100mph between Dobshill and Hope but then came to a stop in the car park of The Bridge pub.
He jumped out, but he was arrested.
John Wyn Williams, defending, said Jones’ car had been impounded, he could not afford the fees to reclaim it and it had been crushed.
That meant he had lost out financially, in the region of £2,000.