Blidworth driver high on cocaine and ketamine thought cops wanted a race during pursuit
A Blidworth driver who was high on cocaine and ketamine when he accelerated away from police said he thought they were racing him when he was pulled over, a court has heard.
Officers noticed Harry Mitchell wasn't wearing a seatbelt while he waited at traffic lights on the A60, Mansfield, at 11.10pm on December 21 last year, said prosecutor Becky Allsop.
When the light turned green he accelerated off, reaching 70mph in a 30mph zone and overtaking on the approach to a sharp left hand bend.
Officers activated their sirens and lights and he was pulled over.
When they asked him why he thought he had been stopped, Mitchell, aged 23, said: "I thought you were racing me."
He explained he had been at a rave the evening before.
Blood tests revealed he was around three times over the specified limit for cocaine, ketamine, and benzoylecgonine, the chemical compound that is produced when cocaine is metabolized in the body.
The court heard he has a previous conviction for drink driving from January 2023.
Pari Seeley, mitigating, said the case should be committed to the crown court as the offences put Mitchell in breach of a two-year prison sentence, suspended for 24 months, for possessing class A and B drugs with intent to supply.
Mitchell, of Appleton Road, Blidworth, admitted drug driving, driving without due care and attention, and driving without wearing a seatbelt, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Tuesday.
An interim six-month driving disqualification was imposed and the case was committed to Nottingham Crown Court for sentence on June 17.