A 21-year-old Dundee man who drove the wrong way around a roundabout during a police chase has been jailed for four months.
Jordan McGinley reversed out of a petrol station and set off down the A90 after a police officer stopped him for driving without a full licence.
Sheriff Charles Macnair heard McGinley, who was still on licence for using Facebook to try and start a riot in Dundee city centre in 2011, panicked when he saw the police.
Depute fiscal Charmaine Gilmartin told Dundee Sheriff Court that a female police officer was at a filling station on Forfar Road at around 10.20pm when she saw McGinley at the wheel of a vehicle.
Mrs Gilmartin said: “The officer was aware that the accused was only a provisional licence holder and she positioned her vehicle to stop him from driving away.
“At that point, he held both hands in the air above the steering wheel seemingly to indicate he would comply.”
Mrs Gilmartin said the officer got out of her vehicle and approached McGinley’s car.
She continued: “At that point, the accused reversed back out of the petrol station on to the A90’s northbound carriageway. The constable got back into her car and activated the blue light.
“The accused negotiated a roundabout against the flow of traffic and continued in to Fintry Drive.
“He then turned sharply into Finavon Street, before taking a sharp left into Finavon Place, where the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road.”
Mrs Gilmartin said the officer’s police report noted that McGinley had been travelling at a “safe speed” throughout the pursuit.
The report stated: “It should be noted that the accused made himself available, fully admitted responsibility for his actions and showed remorse. He stated he panicked when he saw police.”
McGinley’s solicitor added that his client regretted his actions and that the roads were quiet at the time of his offence with no other traffic around.
McGinley, of Scotscraig Road, admitted driving dangerously, failing to stop for police when required and negotiating a roundabout in the wrong direction on a number of Dundee roads on February 24.
He also admitted driving without insurance and with a provisional licence while unaccompanied by a qualified driver.
In passing sentence Sheriff Macnair told McGinley: “This was dangerous driving over a significant distance, not just a momentary piece of bad driving, while you were being chased by the police.
“I take into account this is your first road traffic offence and I take into account the nature of your other convictions, which are different.
“But they disclose a lack of appreciation on your part of complying with the law. You were still serving a sentence at the time of the offence.
“You still had 15 days to go before it expired.”
McGinley was also sentenced to return to prison for 15 days due to being on licence for his previous offence, banned from driving for 16 months and ordered to pay a £270 fine.