Driver who crashed during a police chase in Sheffield had a large amount of cannabis

Uninsured driver Mantas Kvedaras, aged 27, had fled from police on Cemetery Road, Sheffield, before crashing on Brocco Bank, near Hunters Bar roundabout, where police found 2.6kg of cannabis in the boot of the vehicle, according to a Sheffield Crown Court hearing on August 11.

The judge – Recorder Paul Reid – told Kvedaras: “On January 11, this year, you were in possession of a large amount of cannabis which you knew was illegal.

"You were driving a vehicle which you weren’t authorised to drive and you drove it with complete disregard for the safety of other road-users.”

He added: “You saw a police car waiting at a red light and you were driving in the opposite direction and you drove off at speed needless to say attracting the attention of the police.”

Prosecuting barrister Melissa Morton told the hearing that as police pulled up at traffic lights on Cemetery Road, Kvedaras drove away suspiciously in a VW Touran to Pomona Street and as officers turned on their lights and sirens the defendant sped to Ecclesall Road at 50mph in a 30mph zone.

Ms Morton added Kvedaras drove to Hickmott Road, at Sharrow, and ignored a no-entry sign and went up a one-way road to Neill Road and turned back to Ecclesall Road and went around the Hunters Bar roundabout in the wrong direction before going to Brocco Bank where he collided with a traffic light box.

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Kvedaras fled on foot to nearby Endcliffe Park, according to Ms Morton, and the vehicle which had rolled into a bus stop and a bin was found to have 2.6kg of cannabis in bags in the boot.

Ms Morton said Kvedaras was identified and was asked to attend a police interview after enquiries were made with the registered keeper of the vehicle.

Kvedaras told police he had been the driver and he did not have any insurance and the cannabis had been for his personal use only.

The defendant, of Holloway Road, London, who has a previous conviction for exceeding a drug-drive limit and for driving without insurance, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, to driving without insurance and to possessing a class B drug.

Defence barrister Harry Crowson said degree student Kvedaras has made full apologies with no excuses for his behaviour and he had obtained this cannabis for personal use to last him an entire month.

Recorder Reid told Kvedaras: “Police officers turned on lights and sirens but you did not stop and you drove on Ecclesall Road at 50mph in a 30mph area and continued to drive in a dangerous fashion going around a roundabout in the wrong direction and collided with a box that controls traffic lights.”

He added: “Only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified for driving this way through the city and crashing the vehicle and then running off, although you did not cause the police any other difficulty.”

Recorder Reid sentenced Kvedaras to 20 weeks of custody and disqualified him from driving for two years.