A DANGEROUS driver who drove at 100mph during a police chase “panicked” because he had cannabis in his car.

Joel Vassalio, aged 23, of Lliswerry Park Drive, Newport, was first spotted by officers driving too fast in a Volkswagen Golf on the Southern Distributor Road.

Prosecutor Nicholas Gareth Jones told the city’s crown court how they followed him but “he accelerated very hard up to 100mph and they couldn’t gain on him”.

He said Vassalio drove at that speed along the 50mph zone SDR and then at 60mph on Ringland Circle and Hendre Farm Drive, residential areas with a 30mph limit.

The prosecutor told the court: “He stopped at a bus stop, got out and was immediately detained by the police. There were two other occupants in the car.

“The defendant strongly smelled of cannabis.”

The judge, Recorder Sean Bradley, heard how two small bags of the drug were found – one inside the car and one in Vassalio’s pocket.

The chase lasted five minutes. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possessing a controlled drug of class B and driving without insurance.

Mr Jones said the offences took place at around 11.30pm on January 10 and added that the defendant had no previous convictions.

Harry Baker, mitigating, said his client had entered early guilty pleas and had been offered a warehouse job.

He urged the court: “He is 23, this is first appearance in the crown court – might he be given that one further chance to redeem himself by doing community service?”

Recorder Bradley told Vassalio: “It was very fortunate that you caused no accident or injury. You told the police you panicked because you had cannabis in your possession.”

He said that although his offending had crossed the custody threshold, he added: “You have not been in trouble with the law before and I consider that an important mitigating factor.”

The judge ordered him to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work, subjected him to a curfew order, during which he must wear an electronic tag, for four months and banned him from driving for 15 months.

Vassalio must also pay prosecution costs of £340 and an £85 victim surcharge.