Dangerous driver kept talking on his phone during police chase through Sutton
A dangerous driver who kept talking on his mobile phone while trying to outrun police in Sutton was caught when he turned onto a dead end street, magistrates have heard.
Police officers spotted Kane Hodgkinson on the phone when he pulled out of a layby on Outram Street in a red Ford Transit van, on October 4.
He looked directly at them, as if to apologise, but drove off towards Huthwaite and the officers followed, prosecutor Kayleigh Brown said.
Hodgkinson, aged 22, ignored police siren and lights and accelerated past the speed limit before running a red light.
He overtook several vehicles and veered onto the wrong side of the road, carrying out high risk maneuvers and running more red lights. He forced oncoming vehicles to stop and went the wrong way around a roundabout.
But the pursuit ended when he turned onto a dead end and ran off on foot. A member of the public pointed the officers to where Hodgkinson was hiding behind a white car.
In a statement, one officer said Hodgkinson continued talking on the phone throughout the pursuit. He described his conduct as “dangerous and appalling” and “some of the worst driving I have witnessed in my career.”
Hodgkinson later told police he borrowed the van from a friend but didn't know who the registered keeper was.
“He said he failed to stop because he just got his licence back and he panicked,” Ms Brown said.
“When he heard the lights and sirens he said he risked his life and the lives of others because of stupidity.”
He had recently got his licence back after a nine month ban for failing to provide a specimen
Vicky Clarson, mitigating, said he had been working as a self-employed roofer and the cost of insurance prohibited him from getting his own vehicle.
“Fortunately there were no injuries and no damage was caused,” she said.
Hodgkinson, aged 22, of no fixed address, care of Wilde Crescent, Selston, admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop, driving without insurance, without a seatbelt and while using a mobile phone, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Thursday.
Sentencing was adjourned until January 23 for a probation report and an interim disqualification was imposed.