A CONVICTED crack cocaine and heroin dealer who sped through Newport at 85mph as police pursued him has been jailed.

Mohammed Hussain, 22, of Hawthorne Fosse, Newport, was found guilty of dangerous driving in a trial last month at Cardiff Crown Court.

Prosecutor Rosamund Rutter previously described how the defendant had torn through Pill before going over George Street Bridge into Maindee and then proceeded on to Chepstow Road.

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She said that Hussain reached a speed of 85mph in a 30mph zone at one point and came close to crashing into another car during the incident in August 2018.

Hussain was then arrested at the end of that month.

The court also heard during the trial that he had a previous conviction for dangerous driving and is a convicted drug dealer.

And at sentencing last week, Susan Ferrier, who was mitigating, said Hussain had not caused any injuries or damage during the pursuit.

She said: "He is a young man from a strong supporting family background. He has a supportive relationship. He is very hopeful that his employment, which is working for a building firm, will remain open for him.

"This was a pursuit case. It was a relatively short pursuit. There was no injury caused. There was no damage caused."

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Judge Wynn Morgan described the incident as a "very bad case".

"You need to start resisting peer pressure," he said.

"This is a very bad case of dangerous driving. You drove at huge speeds in excess of the limit and drove the wrong way round the roundabout.

"In mitigation there was no accident."

Hussain was handed a 15-month prison sentence, disqualified from driving for 10 months and ordered to pay a £140 surcharge.