A DANGEROUS driver who led police on a chase while serving a suspended prison sentence for “almost exactly the same thing” is now behind bars.

James Norville, 23, from Newport, avoided going to jail last year after he’d sped through the streets of the city at 90mph in a 30mph zone.

Judge David Wynn Morgan described being “astonished” at the decision not to send him into custody for that offence of dangerous driving in March 2021.

He had been “lucky he hadn’t killed somebody” on that occasion and had lost control and crashed.

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Norville was back before the court after he defied his suspended sentence and was spotted by the police driving while disqualified on the A472 in Ystrad Mynach on April 9.

He then led officers on a pursuit in his blue BMW 1 series that saw him overtake a dozen cars waiting at traffic lights before abandoning the vehicle.

Hannah Friedman, prosecuting, told Cardiff Crown Court the defendant ran towards Lewis School, Pengam.

He was arrested around 20 minutes later after a helicopter and dog handler were called in to help search for him.

Norville, of Ward Close, Newport, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving with no insurance.

His offending put him in breach of his suspended sentence and he had also been breached over failures to comply with the Probation Service.

Jenny Yeo, representing Norville, pleaded with the judge to give her client another opportunity in the “last chance saloon”.

She said how the defendant has ADHD and added: “He has sold his car to make sure he is not tempted to offend again.

“The defendant has sold his car and with that money he has bought a dog and he also had a baby a month ago and he wants to be a better person for his daughter who he sees every Monday and Friday.

“He contributes to her upkeep by buying clothing and toys.”

Judge Wynn Morgan asked Mrs Yeo: “What is the public going to think if he doesn’t go to prison today?”

He told Norville: “What you have done is not simply to commit any offence but to go out and do almost exactly the same thing which you did which resulted in the imposition of the suspended sentence.”

The defendant was jailed for 12 months and banned from driving for three years.

He was ordered to sit an extended retest and pay a victim surcharge following his release from prison.