Watch banned driver crash Audi into garden wall after high-speed police chase through Sunderland

Gavin McAnaney refused to stop the Audi A3 he was driving, with a female in the passenger seat, at Barnes Park, in Sunderland, when officers tried to pull him over on April 7.

Newcastle Crown Court heard during a "two minute pursuit" the 22-year-old, who was already banned from the roads, drove at speed, travelled through a bus lane where cars were banned and took sharp turns through residential streets.

Prosecutor Rachel Masters said: "The police saw him travelling at excessive speeds, showing disregard for pedestrians.

"By Lincoln Avenue, there was a significant gap between the police and the defendant. The police car did just under 70mph but was unable to make up the ground. That was in a 30 zone."

The court heard police lost sight of McAnaney's car after he had to brake to avoid collision with a bus and then squeezed through a gap in the road to get away.

Miss Masters added: "At a junction with Wynyard Street they could see the defendant had crashed into a garden wall."

The court heard McAnaney ran off from the scene of the crash site but was arrested the next day when police spotted him driving a different vehicle.

Dad-to-be McAnaney, of Newport Road, Sunderland, admitted dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

Mr recorder Keith Miller sentenced him to 16 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, with a two-year road ban and extended test requirement.