A teenager in a stolen Mercedes led police on a seven-mile pursuit through Stirlingshire, reaching speeds of nearly 100 miles an hour and avoiding a stinger designed to stop him.
Keir McCallum, 19, took the four year old A180 Merc after attending a party in St Ninians, Stirling, the city’s sheriff court was told.
The car’s owner received a notification on an app on his phone at 6.30am on February 17 this year and immediately notified police.
The vehicle, which had a tracker, was spotted by police at 8.45am leaving Cowie, near Stirling, and heading towards the A905 “Low Road” to Edinburgh.
Prosecutor Bernadette Cuthbertson said two police traffic cars set off in pursuit.
After leaving Throsk, they signalled the car to stop using sirens and flashing lights but McCallum, who had been sticking to the 60mph speed limit, accelerated up to 95, towards the village of Airth, overtaking and forcing oncoming cars to brake to avoid collisions.
He drove through the 30 mph limit in Airth, where pedestrians were present on both sides of the road and people were waiting at a bus stop.
At 75mph, he went straight through a red light at roadworks and drove the wrong way round a roundabout at Bowtrees, near Falkirk, where he hit a kerb.
Police deployed a “stinger” device without success.
Abandoned car
Miss Cuthbertson said officers, after seeking permission for tactical pursuit, tried to use their cars to effect a two-vehicle containment but McCallum managed to “weave his way out” and was lost from sight after going the wrong way up an on-ramp to the A876.
The car’s tracker revealed it had been abandoned near the Kincardine Bridge.
Firearms officers were deployed and McCallum was found nearby and arrested and gave an over-the-limit (35mics/ 22) breath sample.
McCallum, of Kippen, Stirlingshire, appeared by video link from prison to be sentenced at Stirling Sheriff Court after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to car theft, drink-driving, driving while unfit through drink or drugs and dangerous driving.
Sheriff Keith O’Mahony jailed him for 12 months and banned him from driving for 44 months.
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