A teenager “conned his way” into an Audi before weaving up the motorway at high speeds, a court has heard.
Michael Ward had only recently turned 18 when he approached a man at a business in Wigan under the pretence of trying to buy a Grey Audi sat outside on May 13 this year.
Bolton Crown Court heard how this was a ploy and that Ward then drove off without first asking for a test drive and travelled at dangerously high speeds along Waterloo Road and the M62.
Prosecutor Edwin Potts said: “He accelerated the Audi, weaving across three lanes of motorway.”
Police tried to track Ward, who had already been banned from driving and had no insurance, as he weaved across the motorway and a police helicopter was called out.
Aerial footage was played to the court showing Ward, of Lisheen Avenue, Castleford, speeding in the Audi across the busy motorway.
He was eventually brought to a stop around 100 yards from the slip road of junction 30 on the M62 in Yorkshire and after being arrested at first tried to deny his crime.
Mr Potts said that on being confronted with the footage he asked police “can you see that person’s face?”
But only months earlier Ward had already been caught driving while banned and without insurance by police on patrol on Long Lane in Huddersfield on March 29.
When arrested he gave his name first as “Michael Wall” only for police to find that no such person appeared to exist.
The case was heard at Bolton Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)
He was released under investigation before going on to commit the further offences in Wigan and Bolton in May.
Brought before the magistrates court Ward, who has 21 previous convictions for 42 offences, admitted to driving while disqualified and driving without insurance for the March incident.
He also pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance for the incident in May.
Tanya Elahi, defending, said that Ward deserved credit for his guilty plea and reminded the court that he had only turned 18 very shortly before committing his crimes.
She said: “He tells me that it was a very stupid offence and that he put others in danger, he put himself in danger.”
Ms Elahi said that Ward had shown real remorse since then and that he felt had “fallen in with the wrong crowd at a young age.”
Judge Jon Close accepted the points about Ward’s age and guilty pleas but reminded the court about his “appalling” driving.
He also reminded Ward about how he had got the Audi keys “under the pretext you were a legitimate customer and then just drove off.
“You wilfully presented yourself and conned your way into a car.”
He added: “It is only by very good fortune that there was not a very serious injury, and a very serious injury involving a heavy goods vehicle invariably entails loss of life.”
Judge Close sentenced Ward to 10 months in a young offenders institute and banned him from driving for a total of three years and five months.
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