‘How is that not dangerous?’ – Judge lambasts defiant drug driver chased by police down a Leeds one-way street

Luke Anthony Mulligan was high on cannabis when he put his foot down in Horsforth in an Audi A3 and mounted a kerb on a busy street in a bid to get away.

The 36-year-old admitted the offence at a previous court appearance, but then denied it at Leeds Crown Court this morning, claiming he could not remember the incident or admitting the offence and insisted his barrister enter a not-guilty plea on his behalf.

He told the judge today that his blood sugar levels often drop, adding “I don’t know what I’m doing half the time”.

But Judge Ray Singh, who said he could adjourn the matter, took an unlikely step of going through the details of the incident in Horsforth with the defendant, before sternly asking him: "How is that not dangerous?"

He added: "You went down a one-way street.

"If you don't think that's dangerous, we will adjourn.

"It could mean a prison sentence.”

Mulligan paused before admitting it was dangerous, and the case proceeded with a formal guilty plea.

He had already admitted the drug-driving aspect of the incident during a previous hearing.

The court was told that police tried to pull Mulligan over on September 14 last year at around 2.30pm, but he accelerated away from them.

He went the wrong way along Town Street heading into oncoming traffic, before mounting the kerb and driving along the pavement where shoppers were.

He then pulled into a car park but was blocked in by bollards and the pursuit ended with a minor collision involving the police car.

It was heard that Mulligan, of Heights Way, Armley, he has a previous conviction for dangerous driving but had not committed any crimes for a number of years.

No mitigation was given by his barrister, Anatasis Tasou, after the judge said he would not jail him.

Judge Singh said: "Your saving grace is that you have not troubled the courts for a long time."

He gave him 10 months' jail suspended for two years, a three-month electronic tag curfew order and an 18-month driving ban.