A man with an obsession with cars has been jailed after a court heard how he took a distinctive VW Beetle and drove it while disqualified.

It was the 22nd time that he had been caught driving while banned.

Shaun Lloyd abandoned the vehicle when police chased him and he ran off.

Mold Crown Court heard how the stolen car was still moving and an officer had to jump in and put the brake on and switch the engine off before it hit anything.

Lloyd was not traced until some days later and at that stage refused to provide a drug test.

To make matters worse it meant he had breached a suspended prison sentence for the second time.

Judge Rhys Rowlands jailed Lloyd, 31, of Queen’s Road at Greenfield, for a total of 13 months.

He did not impose an additional driving ban because Lloyd was already disqualified until October of next year.

Judge Rowlands said it was plain that Lloyd had an obsession for motor vehicles over the years and appeared determined to ignore court orders “come what may”.

He had stolen a valuable distinctive car late at night and when police set off after him he abandoned the vehicle and made good his escape.

Judge Rowlands said that Lloyd had a dreadful record of previous convictions including 21 for driving while disqualified.

While he had been asked to give him another chance and suspend the sentence again, the judge said he was firmly of the view that it had to be immediate custody.

Prosecuting barrister Paulinus Barnes said that in the early hours of August 13, police saw a distinctive VW Beetle convertible with its roof down and a loud exhaust being driven by the defendant at a junction in Greenfield.

They could plainly see it was the defendant behind the wheel so put on their blue lights and started to give chase.

Officers came around a corner and found that the vehicle had been abandoned and the defendant was running off into a housing estate.

“The car was still moving. An officer had to take immediate action to stop it by jumping in and putting on the handbrake and switching off the engine,” Mr Barnes explained.

The car, valued at about £3,000, had not been damaged.

Lloyd admitted theft of the car and driving while disqualified which put him in breach of a suspended prison sentence imposed in October of last year.

Defending barrister Andrew Green said his client had been out of trouble for a long time, had a new partner who was supporting him, and he was determined to stop offending.

His plans were to start his own business as an electrician.

It was another example of car crime which had been a part of his adult life and he knew his liberty was threatened because he’d breached a suspended sentence but Mr Green asked for him to be given one more chance.

He wanted to continue his life without crime and said if he was jailed then he would lose his current job.

A probation report said he had a strong work ethic and he was anxious to change his behaviour and to take responsibility for his decision-making.