A 21-year-old Dundee man drove the wrong way around a roundabout during a police chase after “panicking”, a court has been told.
Jordan McGinley, who was still on licence for using Facebook to try to start a riot in Dundee city centre in 2011, reversed out of a petrol station and set off down the A90 after a police officer stopped him for driving without a full licence.
Fiscal depute Charmaine Gilmartin told Dundee Sheriff Court that a female police officer was at a filling station on Forfar Road at around 10.20pm when she saw McGinley at the wheel of a vehicle.
Mrs Gilmartin said: “The officer was aware that the accused was only a provisional licence holder and she positioned her vehicle to stop him from driving away.
“At that point, he held both hands in the air above the steering wheel seemingly to indicate he would comply,” she said.
Mrs Gilmartin said the officer got out of her vehicle and approached McGinley’s car.
She continued: “At that point, the accused reversed back out of the petrol station onto the A90’s northbound carriageway.
“The constable got back into her car and activated the blue light. The accused negotiated a roundabout against the flow of traffic and continued in to Fintry Drive.
“He then turned sharply into Finavon Street, before taking a sharp left into Finavon Place, where the vehicle stopped in the middle of the road.”
Mrs Gilmartin said the officer’s police report noted that McGinley had been travelling at a “safe speed” throughout the pursuit.
The report stated: “It should be noted that the accused made himself available, fully admitted responsibility for his actions and showed remorse. He stated he panicked when he saw police.”
McGinley, Scotscraig Road, admitted driving dangerously, failing to stop for police when required and negotiating a roundabout in the wrong direction on a number of Dundee roads on February 24.
He also admitted driving with a provisional licence unaccompanied by a qualified driver and driving without insurance on the same date.
Sheriff Charles McNair deferred sentence on McGinley until October 3 and banned him from driving in the meantime.