AN unlicensed motorist sped off to escape police - despite having a seven-month-old girl in his car, a court heard.

After the daytime pursuit around a residential estate, Kyle Canney abandoned the car, leaving the baby still in her child seat inside.

The 22-year-old, who admitted charges of dangerous driving, while uninsured and without a licence, plus child neglect, was jailed for eight months, at Durham Crown Court.

Rejecting an appeal to suspend the sentence, Judge Christopher Prince said it was only good fortune that neither the child in the car, nor those playing in streets, on Bishop Auckland’s Woodhouse Close Estate, were injured or worse, by his actions.

The court heard that on the day of the incident, Thursday November 19 last year, police wanted Canney in connection with a burglary in Newton Aycliffe, on September 3.

As a patrol car neared an address in Weardale Drive, officers saw a green Audi A4, occupied, apparently only by Canney.

Lewis Kerr, prosecuting, said the car reversed at speed towards the police car, seeming to hit a van in doing so.

As the police car turned in the street, the Audi drove straight towards them, then swerved past.

Mr Kerr said Canney drove round the largely 30mph limit residential area at speeds up to 50mph.

At one point he narrowly missed a parked vehicle and lost control of the rear end of his car as he turned into a street.

Canney abandoned the car in Douthwaite Road and ran towards Proudfoot Drive, where officers caught him.

It was only when the officers returned to the car that they saw the child’s mother and grandmother with the girl that it transpired she had been in the back of the car throughout.

Tony Davis, mitigating, said the chase was relatively short and, despite exceeding the speed limit with the child in the car, no-one was hurt.

He added that Canney, of Lowther Road, Woodhouse Close, has already been punished as the police had seized his Audi.

Jailing him, Judge Prince also added a month after Canney admitted the burglary offence.

The judge told Canney that he drove in the dangerous manner that he did, despite being fully aware the child was in the car, at the time.

“This court has to send out the message that those who ignore police requests to stop face going to prison.

“You did not stop, therefore you will go to prison.”

Canney was also banned from driving for a year.