A JUDGE has made a rare exception to a court’s stance on passing immediate prison sentences on drivers who ignore police instructions to stop.

The “exception to the rule” came with the case of a teenage motorist with no previous convictions who was called on to drive at short notice, on October 24.

Durham Crown Court was told Joseph Elliott Redden, who works for his stepfather’s security business, was asked to pick up overnight building site watchmen, as the usual driver was unable to collect them that morning.

Vic Laffey, for 18-year-old Redden, said his own vehicle was out of petrol, so he chose to take his stepfather’s Peugeot 207 on the pick-up run to collect and drop off the site watchmen.

Mr Laffey said he did not want to wake his stepfather to alert him to the fact he would be using his car, or to borrow money for fuel for his own vehicle.

But, when police signalled for him to stop, he “panicked”, knowing he was uninsured, and led a traffic patrol car on a chase around his home village of Thornley, before abandoning the Peugeot at a set of bollards and trying, unsuccessfully, to flee on foot.

Judge Simon Hickey said, in the circumstances he was, “just persuaded, exceptionally”, to impose a 12-month custodial sentence, but to suspend it for two years.

Redden, of Church Walk, Thornley, who admitted dangerous driving and driving without insurance, was also ordered to perform 200-hours unpaid work, complete 20-days’ rehabilitation activity work with the Probation Service and pay £425 costs.

He was also banned from driving for two years.