A DANGEROUS driver who escaped police 'like a rocket' at speeds of over 100mph has been spared jail.

'Arrogant' Adam Curtis was driving so fast that the police who were chasing him twice lost sight of his car.

He drove at twice the speed limit through residential streets in Kidderminster, twice dodged stingers deployed to shred his tyres and sped past the site of a fatal crash which happened only a week before in similar circumstances.

The 22-year-old of Sculthorpe Road, Kidderminster, was already convicted of dangerous driving following a trial at the magistrates court when he appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Tuesday to be sentenced.

The father also had no insurance, the policy having expired at midnight on the day of the incident.

The pursuit began in Jubilee Drive, Kidderminster at around 1.45am on Sunday, April 28.

Jason Aris, prosecuting, said officers saw Curtis, who was behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta, make a 'wild' manoeuvre, crossing central white lines at the t-junction.

Police officers described Curtis's driving as 'aggressive', reaching 60mph in a 30mph road.

"They lost sight of the vehicle because of the excess speed it was travelling at" said Mr Aris.

At 2.20am the car was found again and police attempted to deploy a stinger to stop Curtis, managing to conceal themselves in an industrial unit.

Mr Aris said: "Regrettably the Fiesta took off again. The officers describe it as taking off like a rocket. Officers said they could confidently say it was travelling at least 100mph because their vehicle was travelling at 70mph and the Fiesta was putting considerable distance between the two vehicles."

The defendant continued to Stourport, officers again attempting to deflate the Fiesta's tyres.

Again Curtis drove at twice the 30mph speed limit said Mr Aris. On a section of dual carriageway officers were driving at 90mph 'and the defendant was still pulling away'.

Police ultimately traced Curtis to his home address in Kidderminster where the car was registered.

Curtis sat in the dock with arms folded as details of the pursuit were read out.

He already had 11 points on his licence - five for careless driving following a crash on a country road and six for using a mobile phone while driving.

Amanda O'Mara, defending, said Curtis was having a 'difficult time around the time of this offence' after splitting from his girlfriend of two years following the birth of their baby.

He had drunk alcohol but a breath test revealed he was not over the limit.

Miss O'Mara said the pursuit had happened in the early hours of the morning when there was 'limited traffic about'. She described how he had previously attended the court unrepresented. "Perhaps he had not realised the gravity of the offence" she said.

The car valeter was supported at court by his mother and grandmother. Miss O'Mara argued that a custodial sentence would have a detrimental effect on him, 'not just because he would be with more criminally sophisticated offenders'.

He had not appreciated his insurance had expired but Miss O'Mara said it was a strict liability offence.

Recorder Benjamin Nicholls referred to the defendant's driving as 'erratic' and 'arrogant'.

"Driving of his kind can have appalling consequences. You actually drove through the scene of a fatal collision that occurred a week before due to driving at similar speeds. This was an arrogant piece of driving, the sort of arrogant driving that is the curse of the roads" he said.

The judge sentenced him to 15 months in prison suspended for two years.

He also imposed a community order for 12 months.

This will include an electronically monitored curfew between 8pm and 6am for the next three months and 80 hours of unpaid work.

He further banned Curtis from driving for two years, imposing no separate penalty for the no insurance but endorsing the licence with details of the offence.

Because Curtis has been convicted of dangerous driving, he must pass an extended driving retest.