A TEENAGER who drove at three times the speed limit in a residential area of Carlisle as he attempted to evade the police has admitted dangerous driving.

The defence barrister who represented 19-year-old Joel Oxley at the city’s crown court said he “acted impulsively out of fear” when he committed the offence on the evening of October 28 last year.

Prosecutor Andrew Evans outlined the facts.

A police patrol was working in a residential area of Carlisle at 10.51pm when the officers spotted the defendant driving his Skoda Fabia car at “excessive speed” in a 30mph zone and so they turned around and pursued him.

They saw the Skoda skid as the driver turned into a housing estate, where the speed limit was 20mph, though Oxley’s speed reached 60mph.

Mr Evans said: “The officers temporarily lost sight of the Skoda but doorbell footage from the area showed that the defendant parked on a stranger’s driveway and walked off, but he then thought better of it and returned to the car.”

As Oxley drove away, he immediately encountered the police car and the officers who were looking for him. He was promptly arrested.

Mr Evans said the distance involved in the pursuit was just over half a mile. It included him driving on Wigton Road, Westrigg Road, Ullswater Road, and Greta Avenue.

The defendant had no previous convictions.

Kim Whittlestone, defending, said Oxley had been diagnosed with ADHD and had been assessed for autism. With a supportive family, he was now working 45 hours a week. There were no underlying reasons for the offending.

“There was no alcohol and no drugs misuse,” said the barrister.

“It was an impulsive action, taken out of fear of being stopped by the police. He had never been arrested before and he panicked and reacted in the way he did.

"He bitterly regrets it.”

Judge Nicholas Barker told the defendant, from Moorhouse, near Carlisle, that he made a “very rash and stupid decision” which led to him to the dock at the crown court.

There would have people walking around on the housing estate while he was driving at three times the speed limit, said the judge.

The offending clearly passed the custody threshold, said Judge Barker. But he noted the defendant’s youth and immaturity and the mental health background.

Judge Barker imposed an 18-month community order, with 15 rehabilitation activity days and 150 hours of unpaid work. Oxley must pay £200 prosecution costs, and he was banned from driving for 18 months.

He must pass an extended retest before he can drive independently again.

“Do not appear before this court again,” added the judge.