A DANGEROUS driver who led police on a high-speed chase has been told he was lucky not to have killed someone.

Joshua Jones, of Kelsterton Road in Connah's Quay, appeared at Mold Crown Court for sentence on Thursday.

The 24-year-old had previously admitted one offence of dangerous driving, which was committed on January 6 between Penyffordd and Treuddyn.

Rosemary Proctor, prosecuting, told the court that in the early hours of the day in question, police driving along the A550 noticed a BMW car heading in the opposite direction at speed.

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They decided to follow it, and once the vehicle - being driven by Jones - turned onto a rural lane, a chase ensued.

He accelerated down the unlit, single track rural lane and continued driving at excessive speed in what became a pursuit over almost 10 miles.

At one stage he was doing 80 miles per hour in a residential 30 zone and he emerged from two junctions at excessive speed.

Officers lost him as he sped through a junction and they later found the car crashed into a tree after a sharp bend.

A man later identified to have been Jones' passenger was found a short distance away with an injured leg.

Jones' driving licence and bank cards were found in the crashed car and he was arrested some time after.

Recorder Wyn Lloyd-Jones told the court: "It's a miracle on a single track road - if a car had come it'd be an enormous collision with everyone in sight being dead."

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Robin Boag, defending, told the court his client had split up with his girlfriend and had gotten into "bad company," but that there had been "no attempt to minimise" the seriousness of the offence.

He reasoned that during the entirety of the chase, there had only been one other vehicle which passed and that "in some respects" it was easier to drive on rural single track roads at night.

"Until this year," he said, "Mr Jones had never come to the attention of the police in any way.

"He's hard working, industrious.

"The police came up behind him, he decided to go and he got stuck with it until, ultimately, the vehicle crashed.

"The car's a write-off but he's extremely fortunate he wasn't injured and no serious injury was caused to his passenger."

Recorder Wyn Lloyd-Jones told the defendant: "It's little short of a miracle that serious injury or death to someone didn't take place.

"I've seen the footage - there are times you leave that police car standing as you accelerate away.

The Leader:

"You took enormous risks."

Jones received a 12 month custodial sentence, suspended for 18 months.

He must undertake 20 days of rehabilitation activity, 150 hours of unpaid work and a three month curfew, enforced between the hours of 7pm and 6.30am.

The defendant was also banned from driving for two years and must pay £420 costs.