Machete attack driver jailed after police pursuit

A banned driver who led police on a dangerous high-speed pursuit while drunk, after earlier attacking a car with a machete, has been jailed for two years and three months.

Raymond Tough, 28, "could have killed" people as he sped along residential streets and over pavements in an attempt to evade officers in North Tyneside, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

He had earlier smashed the windows of a car and stolen £59 worth of fuel from a petrol station.

Tough, of Falmouth Road in North Shields, admitted offences including dangerous driving, possessing a bladed weapon, criminal damage and drink-driving.

Tough was caught on CCTV filling a white van with fuel at an Esso garage in Wallsend and then making off without payment at about 09:30 GMT on 28 December, prosecutor David Robinson-Young said.

About two hours later, Tough went to a woman's home and threatened her before pulling a machete out of his trousers and smashing the windows of her car causing £1,200 worth of damage, the court heard.

Police were on the lookout for him when officers spotted him driving his white Fiat Scudo van near the Fox Hunters pub in North Shields shortly before 15:00.

He refused to stop and instead drove off, with two sets of officers both abandoning pursuits due to his highly dangerous manoeuvres, Mr Robinson-Young said.

These included driving at more than 60mph along a 20mph road busy with pedestrians, forcing his way through traffic, going the wrong way round roundabouts, mounting pavements and ignoring red lights, the court heard.

He was arrested at his home later that day and found to have 67mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath, the driving limit being 35mcg.

The court heard he was banned from driving at the time for earlier motoring offences and this was the tenth time he had been caught behind the wheel while disqualified.

He was also free on licence at the time having been jailed for arson, the court heard.

Judge Carolyn Scott said it was "hard to think of a worse example of dangerous driving" and it "could easily have resulted in someone being injured, if not killed".

She said he had an "appalling" record for motoring offences and banned him from driving for five years and one month.

Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].