Jail for cocaine-fuelled dangerous driver who led police on 125mph M1 chase - and went wrong way up the A1

A DISQUALIFIED driver who raced the wrong way along a motorway after  leading police on a 125mph chase through Sheffield and Rotherham has been jailed.

Thomas Garfitt (28) was jailed for 20 months after Sheffield Crown Court heard how he tried to evade pursuing police officers for almost half an hour on his  27-minute desperate dash, narrowly avoiding oncoming cars.

When finally caught  after being cornered by four police cars on the A1, the serial dangerous driver failed a drug test for cocaine.

The court heard it was “miraculous” no-one had been hurt by Garfitt’s actions, while the judge he had been saved from a longer spell in jail by sentencing limits.

Recorder Felicity Davies called it one of the worst cases of dangerous driving she had ever seen or heard about.

Mr David Eager, prosecuting, told the court Garfitt had been pulled over as a disqualified driver in the centre of Sheffield in April but driven away from the police car at high speed, racing off along main roads, ignoring red lights and crossing into the path of oncoming vehicles.

CCTV screened in court showed the Astra running successive lights at a roundabout at the Meadowhall junction, before speeding southwards down the lower deck of the viaduct.

He then shot onto the southbound M1, where the limit is 60mph, at more than 90mph and pulled away from a police car being driven by an officer trained in tactical pursuits- even when the pursuing vehicle hit 125mph.

“Even at over 120mph, he (the police officer) is not gaining ground,” Mr Eager said.

The police helicopter was dispatched to monitor the chase, as Garfitt's Astra led police across country “at hugely excessive speed”, racing through Dinnington, Tickhill and Harworth.

He continued to ignore red lights and go onto the wrong side of the road.

Garfitt then joined the A1 — driving into north on the southbound carriageway.

“He passes a number of vehicles and then does a handbrake turn in the centre of the carriageway, just avoiding oncoming vehicles,” said Mr Eager.

Mr Dermot Hughes, said Garfitt had driven off in a moment of “stupid, blind panic” and was “riddles with remorse”.

He said Garfitt was a “genuinely reformed character” who had a partner and a child and “bitterly regrets” his actions.

Recorder Davies said he had driven at “astonishingly dangerous speed”, including at 90mph in small villages.

“It was miraculous you did not cause injured to any other road users or damage to any other vehicles,” she said.

“This is a difficult sentence as this is among the worst in terms of the danger presented to other road users and the fact of your two previous convictions (for dangerous driving).”

Garfitt, of Walling Road, Wincobank, admitted dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, failing to provide a specimen and driving without insurance at last Wednesday’s hearing.

He was sentenced to a total of 20 months and disqualified from driving for four years and ten months.