Driver flipped car in drug-fuelled police pursuit

A holidaymaker has avoided jail after overturning his car while high on drugs in a police pursuit in Ingoldmells.

Ryan McKee first attracted the attention of officers after he was seen driving erratically along Roman Bank, Ingoldmells just before 3am.

Noel Philo, prosecuting, said that McKee was driving above the 40mph speed limit for the road and then began to accelerate and brake.

At one point he stopped his vehicle, but when the police officer approached McKee’s Peugeot 206, the vehicle simply accelerated away heading towards Addlethorpe.

A second police vehicle took over the pursuit and as the incident continued McKee jerked the car around with the tyres screeching as he drove along the rural roads.

He went straight through a red traffic light and then headed towards Mablethorpe. McKee ended up on the B1196 but then lost control.

Mr Philo said: “He left the road and went into a ditch. The car then came back onto the road and overturned. It spun a number of times and came to rest on its roof.

“The officer saw the defendant pulling himself out of the driver’s side window and he was followed by his passenger.

“The officer apprehended Mr McKee and described him as being in a semi-comatose state,” said Mr Philo.

McKee then failed a drug test which showed he was six times over the limit.

McKee, 29, of Eadie Street, Nuneaton, admitted charges of dangerous driving, failing to stop for a police constable, drug driving, driving without insurance and without a full licence as a result of the incident.

He was given a 10 month jail sentence suspended for 18 months with 120 hours of unpaid work and 10 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

He was also banned from driving for three years and ordered to pass an extended retest before he can legally drive again.

Ranjit Sandhu, in mitigation, said that since the incident on August 3 last year McKee has done his best to turn his life around.

He said McKee is now working and is no longer taking drugs.