A Dundee man has been warned he faces jail after reversing into a police vehicle and driving off after a high-speed chase.
Isaac McPhee was spotted driving with the licence plate of his white transit van obscured with a red rag towards an estate off the A924 road near Bridge of Cally on August 15.
Perth Sheriff Court heard how the 29-year-old led officers on a race along a series of rural Perthshire roads before reversing into a police vehicle and driving off after his van’s engine became severely affected by rain water.
Police had been chasing McPhee for approximately 20 miles and were joined by another two pursuit vehicles by the time of the collision on the single-carriageway B952 Alyth to Pitcrocknie road.
McPhee attempted to take off again but was unable to reach speeds above 20mph and he and a passenger ran off across a field. He then became tangled in a wire fence before continuing into a wooded area.
A police search revealed McPhee held a provisional licence and had been driving with no insurance. He was traced later the same day but made no reply at the time of arrest.
Sheriff Gillian Wade said the circumstances of the case were “deeply concerning” given McPhee’s recent disqualification from driving.
She told McPhee she took “a rather grim view of the matter” and warned him the circumstances could attract a custodial sentence.
She said: “I urge you to cooperate very fully with the criminal social work department.”
McPhee, of Balmedie Drive, Dundee, pled guilty to driving with no insurance and a provisional licence with no qualified driver present on August 15, 2017.
He also pled guilty to driving dangerously and at grossly excessive speeds for the road and conditions, failing to stop for police officers and reversing his vehicle when it was unsafe to do so and colliding with a police vehicle.
The roads named were the A924 Kirkmichael to bridge of Cally, A93 Bridge of Cally to Rattray, Rattray High Street, A926 Rattray to Alyth, Leifrie Tce New Alyth, New Alyth road Alyth, B952 Alyth to Pitcrocknie, B954 Pitcrocknie to North Balloch and the unclassified road to Dryloch.
The case was adjourned until June 20 for a criminal justice social work report to be obtained and McPhee was instructed not to drive in the meantime.
