A 33-year-old man who led police on a seven-minute chase through Oldham at speeds of 70mph in a Nissan Micra before crashing into a parked car has been jailed for dangerous driving.

Michael Aspin, of Derwent Drive, Shaw, attempted to flee the scene after the collision but was quickly apprehended by officers who had pursued him through residential streets in the Coppice area on May 6. The chase ended when Aspin lost control and slammed into a parked vehicle.

Following his arrest, Aspin tried to swallow drugs he had concealed on his person, Minshull Street Crown Court heard. He tested positive for cocaine in a roadside test and later refused to provide a blood sample for analysis at the hospital. The court was told that during the pursuit, Aspin had driven through a red light while attempting to evade capture.

The defendant, who has 79 previous offences on his record, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance and a licence, and failing to provide a specimen. His barrister, Betsy Hindle, told the court that Aspin had committed the offences “out of desperation” to feed his cocaine addiction, having been offered £100 to transport the vehicle.

Recorder Michael Blakey sentenced Aspin to 14 months imprisonment and disqualified him from driving for 20 months. The judge noted that while Aspin’s addiction had driven him to commit the offences, he had used his time on remand productively by becoming an “enhanced” prisoner and securing a trusted position in the jail’s packaging department.

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