A DAD who led police on a chase through a Flintshire town while his young child was in the car has been jailed

Luke Gilham, aged 43 and of Halkyn Street in Flint appeared before Mold Crown Court on Thursday.

He'd previously been convicted of a series of motoring offences committed on November 16 last year as well as February 28 and April 24 this year.

Those offences included dangerous driving, failing to stop when required to by police, driving without insurance, failing to stop after an accident and failing to report an accident, as well as driving without due care and attention.

Richard Edwards, prosecuting, told the court on the first of the three dates Gilham had been signalled to stop by police in Flint.

He pulled into Screwfix carpark, then as the officer followed he turned round and accelerated back into the road.

When police located him a short time later in Royal Drive, a 30 mph zone, he sped up to 50 and did a handbrake turn into Cornist Drive.

It was at this point officers noticed a young child in the rear seat and ended the pursuit immediately.

Gilham continued driving and ended up heading towards another police vehicle, which was parked.

He came around a corner and lost control of the car - over steering and then over correcting his turn - to the point where officers watching thought he was going to collide with other parked cars.

At one point, Mr Edwards said, his vehicle was tipped onto three wheels and officers could clearly see the panic on his face.

He abandoned the vehicle and was not located by police on that day.

In the February incident he was spotted by police and realised it - before accelerating away, with the officer being blocked by traffic and unable to follow.

In April he was driving along Halkyn Street in Flint and was pulled over by two police cars, one at the front and one at the rear of his vehicle.

As an officer approached, he reversed and collided with one of the cars, then accelerated and collided with the second before driving away.

One pedestrian told officers he'd been about to cross the road when a "red blur" came "flying" up the wrong side of the road with its tyres screaming.

Once again, the car was abandoned and Gilham could not be located.

But he was arrested some days later and apologised. Andrew Green, defending, said: "He has had the good sense to face up to what he has done. "He is sorry and ashamed of his behaviour."

Judge Timothy Petts described the offences as "deliberate courses of very bad driving".

He said: "You drove seemingly oblivious to the risk you posed by driving at speed."

Gilham was jailed for one year and four months, as well as receiving a driving disqualification of four years and eight months.