A CROOK who was tasered by armed police and mauled by a sniffer dog after a high-speed car chase was told by a judge: "It's your own fault."

Banned driver Liam Webb yesterday (Wednesday, June 22) moaned in court that excessive force was used in his arrest at the end the pursuit in Hartlepool last February 15.

But Judge Sean Morris had little sympathy for the 24-year-old who, according to his barrister, still bears the scars from his late-night detention.

Webb was in the middle of a crime-spree when he raced around his home town in a Mitsubishi Carisma at up to 90mph, prosecutor Emma Atkinson told Teesside Crown Court.

He had also tried to escape from Durham Crown Court, assaulting a dock officer - a woman employed by a private security firm - as he did so, before he was tripped and stopped.

His lawyer, Stephen Constantine, said: "He is capable of working, he wants to get out, get his own place, get a job, and desist from this behaviour.

"His description of it is, simply, it was idiotic. He is 24 and still has a long time ahead of him. His best mitigation is what he did do, not what he didn't do.

"He is 6ft 4ins or 6ft 5ins and he could have escaped if he had wanted to. After taking a few steps he thought better of it, and stopped what he was doing."

Judge Morris told Mr Constantine: "If he had wanted to, he could have punched that woman's lights out."

And he told Webb, of Holt Street, Hartlepool: "There was a time each court in this country, and I mean each court room, had a police officer and they acted as deterrents.

"They were removed many years ago to save money. Now a court building doesn't even have a single resident police officer on whom a judge can call if he or she is concerned there is going to be trouble.

"That's why if something like this occurs, a prison sentence has to be imposed so others know that's what they will get if they try to escape, and that will help deter others from doing this.

"All we have is a private company, a security company, and that lady was doing probably more than she is supposed to do.

"I don't know what their terms of engagement are, but in the course of it, recklessly you caused her some harm.

"However, you are a big man and if you had wanted to leave court, you could have fled easily. You soon desisted and you apologised to your victim. That makes a difference in my book."

Describing his driving as idiotic, the judge added: "You could have killed somebody. I am asks to bear in mind you got your leg and arm royally chewed by a police dog, but that's your own fault."

Webb admitted dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, two shoplifting thefts of alcohol, attempting to escape from lawful custody and common assault. He was jailed for 20 months and banned from the roads for three years.