Danger driver jailed after crashing into Sunderland houses during police chase

John Langan, who was almost twice the drink-drive limit, had already shouted abuse at officers, failed to give way at junctions and travelled at up to 60mph through residential streets in a bid to get away.

The 27-year-old. who had no licence or insurance for the Audi he was driving, had been at the police station just hours before the smash, which caused £5,000 damage, to be charged with traffic offences relating to an earlier incident behind the wheel.

At Newcastle Crown Court Langan, of Villette Road, Sunderland, has been jailed for ten months and given a two years and five months road ban.

Mr recorder William Lowe QC told him: “You were driving with excess alcohol, almost twice the limit, and this dangerous driving was a persistent course of driving.

“When you were chased by the police you were going through junctions while you should have given way and speeding at considerable speeds.

“You crashed into parked cars and houses.”

Prosecutor Paul Rowland told the court Langan had been pulled over by the police at the McDonald’s drive through at Roker, Sunderland, on June 23 for driving a Ford Fiesta with no licence or insurance and the offiers who spoke to him could smell cannabis.

On August 20 he was charged with offences of driving with drugs in his blood, having no insurance or licence and given bail.

Just hours later, shortly after midnight on August 21, police noticed him trying to hide his face wheel of an Audi on Chester Road in the city.

Langan failed to stop the vehicle, despite the officers blue lights and sirens, then made off at speed.

Mr Rowland said Langgan had slowed the car down on Cleveland Road and the police had got out of their vehicle to approach him.

But Mr Rowland added: “The defendant shouted abuse and sped off.”

The court heard he continued to drive dangerously until he lost control.

Mr Rowland said: “He turned left onto Eden House Road where he crashed into three vehices which were parked up.

“His vehicle eventually ended up colliding with the outer walls of two terraced houses on Eden House Road.”

Langan pleaded guilty to driving with drugs in his blood, having no licence and no insurance in relation to the first inident.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving with excess alcohol, having no licence and no insurance in relation to the second.

Vic Laffey, defending, said Langan has a job and his own home, which would be put at risk by him serving a prison sentence.

Mr Laffey added: “He made a very serious error of judgement, he understands he must be punished for doing so.

“He understands the position he has placed himself in.”

The Audi careered into the wall of the Eden House Road home of Syed Aminul Islam, which he shares with his wife and seven children, and that of his next door neighbour Tony Maqsood.

Mr Islam, 40, wife Forida, 36, and a number of the couple’s children were sat in the living room of the property, when the car smashed through the brick wall, leaving debris scattered in the street.

The vehicle also hit Mr Islam’s VW Passatt car, severely damaging the front of the vehicle, as well as a Toyota Yaris and a Peugeot 307 which both belong to neighbours.

A stunned Mr Islam, who works as a chef at a takeaway in Durham, told the Echo at the time: “We were all in the house and just heard a massive crash, like an explosion.

“My wife was worried so she just got the children upstairs out of the way.

“It could have been a different story if the car had crashed in the day because my children sometimes play outside. It’s a really lucky escape.”

“The children have all been left scared by the crash and they’re quite shaken.

“It was such a big noise when the car hit the wall and they’re worried it could happen again.”

Tony Maqsood, 38, who also lives in Eden House Road, was watching TV with his wife Afifa, 39, their daughter Zaara, 11, and cousin Razaq Arayan, when the car ploughed through his garden wall causing the house to shake.

He said: “We were just sitting watching a movie when all of a sudden we heard a massive bang and the whole house shook.

Tony, a customer adviser at EE, is also dad to daughter Eisha, 14, and son Amaan, 15, who both were upstairs at the time of the crash.

He added: “The impact of the car hitting the wall caused the house to shake so we thought it was a bomb.”