A PROVISIONAL driver sped off from a police officer after being stopped on a road in Wrexham, a court has heard.

Adam Joseph Williams, 31, who has never passed his driving test, had been in his girlfriend’s Renault Clio on Bryn Hafod shortly after 2pm on July 21 last year when a police vehicle signalled for him to stop.

Despite initially pulling over on Cefn Road, Williams suddenly accelerated away from the scene as the police officer was getting out of his vehicle.

He quickly reached speeds of 80mph in a 40mph zone, and just moments later carried out a dangerous overtaking manoeuvre on a left hand bend.

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Image shows Adam Joseph Williams speeding off after being stopped by police. Image courtesy of Crown Prosecution Service

Dafydd Roberts, prosecuting at Mold Crown Court, explained that police had stopped the vehicle because it had been in a poor state of repair, with checks carried out revealing the only person insured to drive it was a female.

He said the overtaking manoeuvre was done on a road with restricted views and had been in contravention to the double white lines in the centre of the fairly narrow, winding road.

In police dashcam footage displayed to the court, Williams can be seen rapidly moving away from the police car, travelling at speeds of around 65mph as he travelled towards the industrial estate, in the direction of HMP Berwyn, which is where the officer lost sight of him.

However, at around 4pm, Williams made a call to the police to tell them he had been the driver involved in the pursuit and officers attended his home some time later.

He provided police with a positive drug sample, admitting to officers that he had taken cocaine the night before.

A blood sample given whilst in police custody found the proportion of Benzoylecgonine, the main metabolite of cocaine, to be exceeding the limit.

Williams had already appeared at Mold Magistrates Court on December 18 last year, where he pleaded guilty to all five charges, which as well as the drug driving offences, also included dangerous driving, failing to stop and driving without a license and insurance.

Henry Hills, defending, told the court that his client’s best mitigation was the fact he had entered early guilty pleas including when under police interview.

He said Williams, who has worked as a welder for many years, had no history of carrying out any similar offences and that no one had been injured and the pursuit had not be a prolonged course of driving.

He said any risk he posed to the public could be managed in the community as he asked to the judged to hold back from imposing an immediate custodial sentence.

Mr Hills went on to say how his client had always struggled with his dyslexia, and one of the main reasons he had never got his full license was because he found the theory aspect of the driving test to be problematic.

Judge Rhys Rowlands said: “Despite managing to evade the police, you thought better of it and rang them later to admit what you had done.”

Williams was given a six month sentence, suspended for two years, and will be banned from driving for 18 months. He must also complete 200 hours of unpaid work.