Jason Ryder jailed for 140mph police pursuit through North Yorkshire

Jason Ryder drove his black Audi A3 car at twice the speed limit for long stretches of the hard shoulder of the A1(M) during a 25-mile pursuit, York Crown Court heard.

Recorder Anthony Hawks said that when he came off the motorway onto a 60mph single carriageway, Ryder sped up to 145mph in his bid to get away from police.

Eddie Steele, prosecuting, said minutes before the 17-minute pursuit began, the 45-year-old had been convicted of drug driving at a trial at Harrogate Magistrates' Court.

“He’s disqualified at court and gets straight into a vehicle,” said Mr Steele.

Read more: what the police said at the time about Ryder's driving

After watching a police video of part of the pursuit, the judge told Ryder: “Any member of the public hearing the description of your driving or seeing some of it as we have done would be appalled.

“It is extraordinary that no-one was seriously injured or killed.

“There may have been a family who had broken down on the hard shoulder. You would have simply wiped them out.”

When he appeared before York Magistrates' Court, Ryder, of Wellgarth, Evenwood, Bishop Auckland, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and driving without insurance, all committed at lunchtime on March 20 this year. He was sent to the crown court for sentence.

Read more: Ryder's appearance before two magistrates' courts

He was jailed for 10 months, banned from driving for 23 months and ordered to take an extended driving test before driving alone again.

Traffic Sergeant Paul Cording, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “It is extremely fortunate that no one was injured as a result of Ryder’s actions.

"Not only did he put other road users at huge risk due to the dangerous manner of his driving, he also showed a complete disregard for the judicial system.”

Jason Ryder (Image: North Yorkshire Police)

For Ryder, Gabrielle Wilson said he had thought the driving ban only began when he sent his licence off to DVLA.

The judge said he rejected that suggestion entirely, pointing out Ryder knew how bans worked because he had been banned for failure to provide a drink driving specimen and careless driving in 1998.

Ms Wilson said Ryder hadn’t stopped when police put on their blue lights and sounded their siren because he “mistrusted police”.

She said: “He felt the trial (for cannabis driving) didn’t go the way he anticipated.”

Mr Steele said the pursuit began on the A658 on the outskirts of Harrogate. Ryder had overtaken other vehicles and forced other vehicles to take evasive action to avoid collisions as he drove to the A59/A1(M) junction and turned north.

It was raining and the road surface was wet but Ryder raced at twice the speed limit in heavy traffic moving back and forth between the lanes.

He had come off the A1(M) at Junction 50 onto the A6055 and continued heading north, overtaking vehicles and driving on the wrong side of the road until police used a stinger to deflate his tyres and stop him.

The route taken by Jason Ryder

Ms Wilson said Ryder wasn’t thinking straight when he left the magistrates’ court. His mental health was “unstable” at the time through the emotions of his mother and sister coming back into his life.

He was now determined to turn his life around and was sorry for the “hassle” he had caused. His doctor had referred him to a mental health team.