A BOLTON man who led police on a high speed car chase while high on cocaine was told by a judge he had escaped going to prison “by the skin of his teeth”.

Zack Allred, 24, drove a Renault Megane at speeds approaching 90mph during the five minute pursuit which only ended after he was caught by police officers trying to run away along a footpath.

At Bolton Crown Court, Brian Berlyne, prosecuting, said Allred, who earlier pleaded guilty to three charges of drug driving, driving dangerously, driving without a license or insurance, was spotted driving a Renault Megane by police officers at around 1am on July 15, 2019. There were three passengers in the car and Allred stopped to let one out before driving through a red traffic light and reaching 60mph in a 30mph zone.

As he approached Waters Meeting Road he drove the wrong way round a roundabout and travelled towards Blackburn Road at around 70mph, going through another red light.

Heading towards Egerton, Allred, of Valpy Avenue, Bolton, reached speeds of 85mph in a 30mph and overtook a vehicle at around 90mph.

He then drove at 60mph along Cox Green Road before coming to a halt as the road ended where he abandoned the vehicle and tried to escape on foot along a footpath.

Allred was arrested and a blood sample was taken at the police station which found he was three times over the legal limit for cocaine.

He also had benzoylecgonine - a metabolite of cocaine -in his system at 16 times over the legal limit and was also over the limit for cannabis.

Mr Berlyne added that Allred had no previous convictions.

Andrew Costello, defending, said Allred deserved credit for his early guilty pleas and said there had been a long delay in sentencing. A pre-sentence report suggested he would benefit from a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement (RAR) that could allow him to still see his children.

Sentencing Allred, Judge Martin Walsh said it was an “appalling piece of driving”.

“You have escaped going to custody today by the skin of your teeth,” said Judge Walsh.

“It is only by good fortune that nobody was injured or killed as a result.”

He handed Allred a sentence of 14 months imprisonment suspended for two years.

He was also disqualified from driving for four years.

and disqualified him from driving for four years.

Allred will also be the subject of a four month curfew between 8pm-6am daily and was ordered to undertake 30 days RAR.