Drug-fuelled driver jailed for high-speed police chase in Wolverhampton
A drug-fuelled driver who raced across the city as he tried to dodge police before losing control and hurtling into a kerb has been locked up.
Ashley Gelder ‘panicked’ when he spotted an officer, rushing away through Wolverhampton at speeds reaching 90mph during the three-mile pursuit.
The 29-year-old, who did not have a driving licence, was told his ‘appalling’ driving could have claimed the lives of fellow drivers and pedestrians.
Sitting at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Simon Ward said: “You are constantly breaking the law. Your driving isn’t the worst I have seen but in the last couple of years, you have had quite a number of chances. It’s frankly a miracle nobody was killed.”
Gelder accelerated away from the officer after he was caught driving a Citroen, which had fake number plates, at 2.45am on February 11, prosecutor Mr Paul Spratt said.
The defendant, of Geneva Road, Tipton, zoomed through five sets of red traffic lights.
He also travelled along the wrong side of the road towards oncoming traffic, and failed to stop or slow down, the court was told on Tuesday.
The high-speed chase ended when Gelder clipped a kerb and burst his tyre.
He was found to be two times the legal drug driving limit for cannabis, as well as more than three times the limit for cannabis.
Unemployed Gelder, who had 64 convictions, suffers from depression and anxiety but has never received help for his mental health issues.
Defence barrister Miss Amiee Parkes added: “In order to cope with difficult situations, he turns to drugs. He does have an issue with drugs and needs assistance with that.”
The defendant, who is currently claiming benefits, has caused his mother ‘a lot of stress’ by trailing in and out of prison, the barrister said.
Gelder, who was handed a two-year driving ban, admitted dangerous driving, driving under the influence of drugs, driving without insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence. He was jailed for 12 months.
