A WOMAN has been put behind bars after getting behind the wheel whilst banned and leading police on a pursuit through Wrexham.

Jessica Dunmer, of Waring Court in Hightown, was produced in custody at Wrexham Magistrates Court on Monday for sentence.

The 29-year-old admitted offences of driving without due care and attention, driving whilst banned and without insurance, failing to stop for police and failing to provide a sample of blood for analysis.

Justin Espie, prosecuting, told the court Dunmer was only in court last week for similar offences - and on that occasion she received a suspended sentence, which she had now breached.

At 3am on Sunday, Mr Espie told the court, officers on patrol on Kingsmills Road in Wrexham spotted the defendant driving a Peugeot motor vehicle.

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The manner of driving was poor and one of the tail lights was defective.

Forming a belief that the driver may have been using substances, the officers activated their blue lights - but Dunmer failed to stop.

Instead, she turned her lights off and led them on a pursuit.

After continuing to Grosvenor Road, she failed to give way at a traffic light and drove back towards Caia Park.

Officers attempted to stop her en-route with a stinger device, but she avoided it.

At the site of a second stinger attempt, she stopped the car and threw her keys out of the window.

A drugs swipe at the roadside returned a positive result, but in custody she refused to give a sample of blood for analysis.

Lorraine McClure, defending, told the court: "Sensibly, the defendant accepts her fate today.

"Ordinarily, I'd try and convince you it would be unjust to activate the suspended sentence, but with these like offences I simply can't do that."

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Ms McClure said her client claimed to have accidentally turned her lights off when the police began chase, explaining she'd simply used the wrong button on the dashboard.

"Even so," Ms McClure continued, "the driving is not at excessive speed.

"She tells me she was simply being stupid."

Nicholas Colbourne, chair of the Magistrates, told the defendant: "What an incredible story; the whole thing we are hearing.

"You were here last week for these offences, and now you're back here again for a bunch of separate ones.

"We will activate the suspended sentence in full due to the proximity of the further similar offences."

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The activated suspended sentence meant she received a 14 week custodial term, but added to that consecutively was a term of 26 weeks for the latest driving whilst banned offence - the fifth on her criminal record to date - making a total of 40 weeks.

The court also added to the 28 month driving ban imposed last week - bringing it up to a new total of 43 months.

The defendant must pay a victim surcharge of £154, as well as £85 costs.