A HIGH-SPEED police chase of a mad motorist driving at speeds of up to 90mph through Swindon and Highworth ended when the driver crashed his car into someone’s front garden and tried to hide from officers in a bush.

Bernard Sindano, 25, of Priory Court in Walthamstow pleaded guilty to driving dangerously and having fake car number plates.

It all began when officers in two police cars were called to an intruder alarm ringing at the Hobley Road Costcutter on December 20 around 11.30pm. They spotted a red Ford Fiesta leaving the shop’s car park and followed him along Ermin Street, but when they tried to box him in and stop his car after noticing that its plates were fake, Sindano drove recklessly to evade capture and led them on a lengthy late-night pursuit through residential areas and into oncoming traffic.

Greg Dono, prosecuting, explained that, after mounting the pavement and driving on the wrong side of the road to manoeuvre out of the cop cars’ formation, Sandino drove onto Beechcroft Road at up to 50mph towards traffic lights, and as the lights turn green he drove onto the wrong side of the road where a car had stopped because it had noticed the police’s blue sirens, narrowly avoiding a collision..

Mr Dono said: “Police pursued the driver along Kingsdown Road at 70mph – there’s a steep bridge on part of that road so they slowed down but he didn’t, which caused the rear wheels of his car to briefly become airborne.

“As he entered Highworth on a wet road, he reached speeds of 90mph and went the wrong way around the roundabout – if other cars had been there, it would have been a catastrophe.”

Now on the right side of the road and 200 metres ahead of police, Sindano turned onto Lechlade Road and St Michael’s Road while still going 70mph in a 30mph zone.

He looped back onto Lechlade Road and drove towards Cherry Orchard, where officers lost sight of him for a few moments before spotting his wrecked car wrapped around a tree in the front garden of a house on Priory Green.

Mr Dono added: “Due to excessive speed, the car crashed into a big tree, which had been moved by the crash against the front porch of the house. If the tree hadn’t been there, the car would have ploughed into the house and potentially injured the occupants, who were stood by the front door and understandably shaken up.

“The passenger left the vehicle and ran onto the road in front of the police car, where other police vehicles had arrived. The defendant exited through a gap in the hedge and tried to hide in a bush, but an officer saw a leg poking out, aimed his taser and shouted at the defendant to lie on the floor, which he then did.”

Sindano will appear for sentencing at Swindon Crown Court on January 18 – until then, he has been disqualified from driving.

He’d previously been disqualified for drink-driving last year but that disqualification period ended last month.