Cocaine driver smashed head-on into car on wrong side of dual carriageway during Leeds pursuit

Footage of the death-defying 12-minute chase was played to Leeds Crown Court and showed Louis Cross’ taking huge risks at high speed in a Seat Altea around residential streets of Bramley.

Three police cars were involved in the pursuit, along with the police helicopter, as he was shown running red lights, driving on the wrong side of the road and reaching speeds up to 70mph in 30mph areas.

They had tried to pull him over at around 11.15pm on September 14, 2019, but he took off at speed.

He drove across a green space before making it onto the Stanningley Bypass, but entered the wrong carriageway in a final bid to shake off the police.

He then smashed into an oncoming Honda driven by a man who had his wife and daughter in the car.

Luckily, nobody suffered serious injury.

Cross then tried to flee on foot but was soon apprehended.

He was given a drugs test and was found to be over the limit for cocaine.

The court heard that the 34-year-old has previous convictions and had spent time in jail for robberies.

Cross, of Sholebroke Avenue, Chapeltown, admitted dangerous driving and driving while unfit through drugs.

Speaking on his behalf, Emma Handley said: “His early guilty pleas are his best mitigation.

"He expressed remorse during interview.

"He has been able to move forward with his life in the last three years. There have been no further offences since that day.

“He has found stable accommodation and employment, and he no longer relies on drugs.”

She said that Cross simply panicked and fled that night.

Judge Simon Phillips KC told Cross it was a “persistent and prolonged episode of extremely dangerous driving”.

He told him that the speed bumps, junctions or speed limits “did not deter you one jot”.

He jailed him for 16 months and gave him a 32-month driving ban, for which he will need to sit an extended driving test to have any chance of regaining his licence.