A YOUNG dad was jailed for dangerous driving after a seven-minute police chase.

Ben Young, 20, of Bryncoed Terrace, Penpedairheol, was high on cocaine and had almost completed a one-year driving ban when he led Gwent Police officers on a seven-minute chase through the streets around Hengoed on New Years Day.

Prosecutor Emma Harris told Cardiff Crown Court on August 3 that Young, who admitted a number of charges on June 20, was driving his Seat Ibiza at around 2.30am on January 1, when his car was travelling in between two police cars.

Ms Harris said he indicated to turn onto New Road towards Hengoed but the officer in the car behind him noticed his windows were fogged up and began to follow him.

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She told how he led the officer on a seven-minute police chase through the streets, many with parked cars on both sides, at speeds higher than the limit, with the top speed at around 80mph when onto the dual carriageway according to the police officer’s speedometer on his car and 65mph off the dual carriageway.

The court was told how Young drove past two cars at speed but fortunately did not cause any harm to them.

Two sets of stingers were placed on the roads, with one being on Penallta Road which deflated Young’s Seat Ibiza tyres. When the car came to a stop, Young fled the scene, chased by the police officer. He was found shortly after with the help of the dog section.

Ms Harris said he was taken to the station in Newport and a blood test found he had 475microgrammes of Benzoylecgonine in his blood, more than 30 times the legal limit.

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Young told police he had consumed £40 worth of cocaine. It was also found that Young had been banned from driving for a year in January 2021 and his ban was due to end on January 8, just a week after the offence.

Jeff Jones, mitigating, said that the defendant has a five-month-old baby and entered stable employment in July, which he would like to keep and he spends an hour and 10 minutes walking to work.

He said Young accepted responsibility for what he did.

His Honour Judge DJ Hale said how dangerous the situation could have been were there people around at the time and how lucky he was to have not hit the two travelling cars he passed.

Jailing him for six months, Judge Hale said: “When tempted to drive, think about those weeks in prison and being away from your little baby and girlfriend.”

Young was sent to prison for six months and banned from driving for three years and three months. He will have to take an extended driving test once his ban is over before he is able to return to the road.