Driver who reached 70mph in Wakefield city centre is jailed

Police had tried to stop Ashley Grundy after being tipped off that he was driving a vehicle with cloned plates on the morning of January 27, Leeds Crown Court was told.

Prosecutor Jade Edwards said the officers spotted Grundy at around 11.30am on the A61 Leeds Road and when they tried to stop him, he took off at speed.

The 29-year-old ran red lights, crossed over to the opposite side of the carriageway, took a roundabout at 67mph and reached 70mph in built-up areas in the city.

He headed down Albion Street and Jacobs Well Lane before eventually abandoning the vehicle and making off on foot.

A member of the public told police they saw him enter a house on Tavora Street, where officers located him.

They also found a machete with a 35cm blade under the passenger's seat in the abandoned vehicle.

The court was told that Grundy, of no fixed address, has 36 convictions for 67 offences.

He admitted possession of an offensive weapon, dangerous driving and having had no licence or insurance.

The court was told that he had since been been disqualified from driving for refusing to provide a breath test after being stopped in Harrogate last year.

Mitigating, Chloe Hudson said: "He accepts completely that his driving was extremely poor on that day. Thankfully nobody was injured.

"He needs to grow up and stop offending, otherwise he will spend less and less time with his children and more time in custody."

She said Grundy was now on ant-depressants which he says are helping him.

He was permitted to read out a letter he wrote to the court from HMP Leeds where he appeared in custody via video link.

He said he had not seen his children for three months because of the lockdown restrictions, and that he courses and jobs at prison were limited.

He said: "I'm very sorry for the trouble I have caused.

"I'm now on proper medication and I'm feeling better. I was going through a bad episode of depression and anxiety."

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar jailed him for 12 months and handed him a 30 month driving ban.