Teenager sentenced for 100mph police pursuit

Shane Urwin fled at speed into the Tyne Tunnel on 20 August

A teenage dangerous driver who fled from police at more than 100mph and on another occasion rammed a van off a road has been given a suspended detention sentence.

Shane Urwin, 18, drove on the wrong side of the road, ignored red lights and smashed through roadworks in the Tyne Tunnel to escape officers on 20 August, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

On 11 October he chased down a van and rammed it after the occupant accused Urwin, from Washington, of stealing a car.

He admitted two counts of dangerous driving and driving without a licence or insurance and was detained for a year, suspended for two.

He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

'Idiotic and stupid'

Police spotted a blue Ford, which they suspected was using cloned number plates, on the A19 at the Silverlink junction in North Tyneside at about 01:00 BST on 20 August, prosecutor Gabrielle Wilks said,

The car made off and reached 100mph before entering the Tyne Tunnel, pushing through traffic cones to overtake other cars, the court heard.

Urwin, described by his defence as having been "idiotic and stupid", went the wrong way along the A194 with pursuing police reaching 85mph but not catching him, Ms Wilks said.

He switched of his lights and travelled at more than 65mph through a 20mph zone before abandoning the car outside a hotel in Washington, the court heard.

On 11 October, Urwin used a blue VW Golf to ram the side of a van on the Washington Highway then slammed on his brakes in front of it as the driver sought to get away, causing the two vehicles to collide, Ms Wilks said.

The van owner and his family had previously accused the teenager of stealing their son's car, the court heard, and Urwin had challenged him to a fight.

In a statement, the van owner said he was "angry" and feared Urwin, of Arklecrag in Albany, would continue to target his family.

Judge Carolyn Scott banned Urwin from driving for two years and imposed a restraining order preventing him from contacting the van owner for two years.