A BANNED driver who led police on a lengthy police chase because he was scared they’d take his dog will have to wait another fortnight to learn his fate.

Jamie Sharman-Palmer, 32, had been expecting to be sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty last month to dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance and breaching a community order.

But Judge Peter Crabtree put the case back for two weeks after prosecutor Oliver Foy told him he did not have any footage from the chase to play to the court.

The judge told Mr Foy, who appeared at Swindon Crown Court via video link: “I’m surprised – it’s not your fault at all – but the video footage in these cases frequently shows how serious the driving is and it frequently shows the driving is less serious than an officer’s witness statement, which is why I always insist on having it.

“That’s not a surprise. A picture speaks a thousand words, doesn’t it?”

Ellen McAnaw, defending, said her client’s girlfriend was heavily pregnant and they both wanted to know at what point in the future Sharman-Palmer would be able to play a part in the child’s life.

Judge Crabtree remanded Sharman-Palmer, of Dicketts Road, Corsham, into custody to be sentenced on April 28. The defendant appeared in court via video link from HMP Bullingdon and spoke only to confirm his name and thank the judge.

Last month, the magistrates’ court heard that officers from Avon and Somerset Police had passed Sharman-Palmer’s Renault Clio on the M5 and M4 Almondsbury interchange at around 10.30pm on Monday, March 1.

The car was going at around 40mph to 45mph and checks by the police officers suggested it was uninsured.

The police slowed down and, eventually, the officers’ car was overtaken by the Clio. They activated their blue lights in an attempt to get the Renault to stop.

Sharman-Palmer put his foot down, hitting speeds of between 100mph and 110mph, then turned off at Junction 18.

He sped through a red light at the roundabout then hit 70mph on the A46 to Bath. The driver ignored 40mph signs and overtook on a bend.

The Renault headed towards Corsham, going through further red lights.

Eventually, police units deployed a stinger device and Sharman-Palmer fled on foot, leaving behind his six-month pregnant girlfriend. A police dog found him hiding in a garden a short distance away.

Sharman-Palmer told the officers intervinewing him “I’m guilty” as soon as he sat down. He said he bought the car for £350 on Facebook a week or two earlier and registered it in another name.

His solicitor told the district judge he had an American bulldog in his car and panicked because he thought the animal would be taken away by police. The dog had been assessed as "okay", she said.