A 21-year-old man has been sentenced after leading police on a high-speed pursuit through North Yorkshire countryside before having his tyres blown out by a stinger.

Finn Thomas Barker of The Oval in Skipton set off in the car at around 9am on February 2, 2022.

He was driving towards Catterick Garrison where his car was picked up on CCTV cameras.

Police caught up with the vehicle shortly after on Leyburn Road and followed it for some time as Barker continued to drive dangerously.

He was seen driving on the wrong side of the road, crossing the white lines in the middle, overtaking into oncoming traffic, driving in the middle of the road over blind crests and constantly exceeding speed limits.

After failing to stop for police a stinger was deployed just outside the village of West Witton.

Read more: Norton drug-driver jailed after crashing car and leaving injured passengers in wreck

Both front tyres were blown out but he continued but was eventually brought to a stop using TPAC tactics.

Barker proceeded to jump out of the car and run off across the countryside nearby.

Soon after he was found hiding in woodland and arrested before a member of the public alerted police to a laptop and some cannabis that had been discarded in a field close to where Barker was detained.

Barker continued to deny that he had been driving the vehicle despite clear evidence that there was only one occupant and finally changed his plea to guilty after months of pleading not guilty.

After he was shown the footage of the pursuit, he laughed out loud, complimenting his ‘stig-like driving manoeuvres’ and completely failed to show any remorse for the danger he put other motorists in.

To get more stories from Darlington direct to your email basket go here

He was given a nine-month prison sentence suspended for two years at Teesside Crown Court last Friday, after pleading guilty to driving without a licence, driving dangerously, possessing a class B drug and driving without insurance.

Read next:

If you want to read more great stories, why not subscribe to your Northern Echo for as little as £1.25 a week. Click here