A driver who took police on a high-speed chase around the streets of Stockton after he left home in a ‘rage’ following a family dispute has been locked up.

Aaron Pearson sped off when police tried to pull him over when they spotted him driving erratically in the early hours of the morning.

The 30-year-old reached speeds of 100mph and he tore through red lights, clipped kerbs and braked dangerously, during the relatively short pursuit starting in the Yarm Road area of Stockton.

Teesside Crown Court heard how his dangerous driving ended abruptly when he lost control of his car as he raced over speed humps and smashed into a tree.

Nigel Soppitt, prosecuting, said Pearson was trapped inside the car and was arrested at the scene where officers recovered a small knife and suspected heroin.

He said: “Officers saw the vehicle being driven by the defendant, speeding, braking harshly and using indicators in a fairly random manner and signalled for him to stop but he sped up.”

Mr Soppitt told the court that Pearson sped off and kept putting his vehicle in reverse to ‘intimidate’ the officers before he reached speeds of 100mph in a residential area.

He added: “He lost control fully when he went onto Hamilton Road where there are speed humps. As he travelled down this road his car is described as being airborne as he hit the speed bump. He then crashed into trees at the bottom of the road.”

Read more: North East woman fleeced estranged husband out of £46,700

Pearson, of Varo Terrace, Stockton, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and possession of a knife following the events in the early hours of June 30 last year.

Nicci Horton, in mitigation, said her client had left his father’s home in a ‘rage’ after a disparaging remark was made about his late mother.

She added: “He packed up his stuff and left – he was in a rage and he drove incredibly dangerously. He told me he was ‘gutted’ about the way he behaved because it was an emotional action.

“When he saw the police, he panicked and drive even worse.”

Recorder Ashley Serr locked Pearson up for 18 months for both offences after hearing he had already been recalled on licence from a previous offence.

He added: “This was an extreme case of dangerous driving involving excessive speeds in a residential area.”

Pearson was also banned from driving for four years and nine months and would need to pass an extended test before getting back behind the wheel of a car.

Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.

For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.

Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054