A young man from Oldham who led police on two separate chases, including one where he crashed his car after travelling at speeds of more than 100mph, has avoided jail.

At Minshull Street Crown Court Tuesday (August 29), Travis Taylor-Smith was sentenced after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, driving on false plates, driving without a licence, two counts of drug driving, two counts of driving without insurance and two counts of possession of cannabis.

Prosecution counsel Nicholas Roxborough told the court that on November 16 last year, police officers on patrol in Chadderton noticed a black Vauxhall Corsa and began pursuing it.

Taylor-Smith, 20, was driving the car and began driving "erratically at speed" before dumping the car on Brooklands Avenue and trying to flee on foot.

He was caught by police and was found to be over the specified limit for cannabis while driving.

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Mr Roxborough also told the court on December 27 last year at around 11.30pm, officers were made aware of a car travelling on the M62 westbound near Junction 24 on cloned plates.

Taylor-Smith was requested to stop but failed to do so, instead driving at speeds of more than 100mph in heavy rainfall.

Specialist tactics were used to try and stop Taylor-Smith, who clipped a police car during the pursuit, causing it damage.

The chase also saw him drive on the wrong side of the road at points and narrowly avoid collisions with other vehicles, including an HGV.

Taylor-Smith eventually span and crashed the car, before setting light to it and trying to flee on foot in a field, however, he was once again caught by police and was found to be over the limit for cannabis.

Mr Roxborough said Taylor-Smith was of previous good character before the two incidents but had made a "deliberate decision" to ignore the rules of the road.

Defending, Benjamin Knight said Taylor-Smith suffered from ADHD and was due to go on medication for it in the coming weeks.

He added that Taylor-Smith, who was 19 at the time of the first incident, was aware of how serious his poor driving had been.

When passing sentence, Recorder Frank Feehan KC said to Taylor-Smith: "You led police on a very, very dangerous chase over many miles.

"A collision with anyone would have caused very serious injury, possibly death."

Recorder Feehan decided to spare Taylor-Smith immediate custodial sentence on the grounds he had behaved well since the incidents and handed him a sentence of nine months in prison, suspended for two years.

He also ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and to pay £425 in court costs.

Taylor-Smith, of Albert Street, Royton, was also banned from driving for two years.