Bridgnorth man jailed after crashing stolen Kia into patrol car in Shrewsbury

Robert Iveson, of Peacock Hill, Alveley, near Bridgnorth was also banned from driving for 12 months and told he would need to take an extended driving test before he would be allowed to drive again.

The 33-year-old pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance, and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence when he appeared before Shrewsbury Crown Court.

Mr Philip Beardwell, prosecuting, said Iveson went to the English Bridge Workshop in Shrewsbury during a music event on October 12 last year, and engaged a man in conversation about music. Another man, who appeared to know Iveson, also entered the building, asking if he could use the toilet, and it was later discovered that a set of car keys had been taken and a musician's Kia car had been taken.

Mr Beardwell said at around 1am the following morning, the car was spotted being driven through Kidderminster. Police turned on the blue lights to signal for the car to stop, but the car accelerated, driving at speeds of up to 80mph, crossing over to the wrong side of the road on a blind bend and doing 60mph in a 30mph zone.

Mr Beardwell: "The car went through Shrawley, travelling at speeds of up to 60mph in a 30mph limit."

The court heard Iveson also drove the wrong way round a traffic island, and only stopped when he crashed into a police car which was trying to block him.

Miss Emma Lineton, representing Iveson, said it was not the worst example of an offence of that kind.

She said at the the time of the offence Iveson had no fixed address and was addicted to heroin. She said at the moment Iveson was serving a prison sentence for breaching a suspended sentence imposed for other matters, and during his time in prison he had managed to stay clean of drugs and now served as a mentor for other prisoners, teaching them to read and write.

She said: "His four-year-old daughter has been a motivation for him to change."

Passing sentence, Judge Peter Barrie said: "You drove at high speeds through red lights and on the wrong side of the road.

"I have read about and listened to the progress you have been making in custody, and I accept what I have been told."