A dangerous driver who hit speeds of up to 130mph during a Halloween police chase almost smashed into a mum and her young child.
Luke Wilson, who was banned from driving and had no licence, took off from police when they attempted to pull him over on October 31.
The 27-year-old drove dangerously and at high speeds in the middle of the afternoon as children were out and about trick-or-treating for Halloween.
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Wilson appeared at Durham Crown Court via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for dangerous driving, driving without insurance and driving while disqualified.
Joe Culley, prosecuting, said police tried to pull Wilson over in the Sherburn Hill area after checks showed the VW Passat he was driving was uninsured.
But he refused to stop, and instead sped off and kick-started a police pursuit that lasted around six minutes.
Mr Culley said Wilson travelled along the A181 during the chase, and at one point drive on the wrong side of a carriageway.
And as Wilson hit speeds of up to 70mph, he almost collided with a motorist who had her young child in the car.
The court heard that the mum had to take "swift action" to avoid a crash, and said she believed that she and her child would have been killed if Wilson had collided with them.
Wilson continued on, driving over a roundabout and overtaking vehicles at high speed.
The court heard that Wilson hit speeds of "123mph" and "130mph" during the chase.
Mr Culley added that during the incident, youngsters were out trick-or-treating for Halloween.
Eventually, Wilson, who has never had a driving licence, did stop the car and surrendered to police.
Mr Culley added: "He accepted that he was on a suspended sentence and that it was his girlfriend's car."
The court heard that Wilson, of Church View, Ludworth, was on a suspended sentence for dangerous driving at the time of the chase and had seven previous convictions for 18 offences.
Martin Scarborough, defending, was a "young man who made a grave mistake" and said he "shouldn't have been driving at all".
He said Wilson was going to the shop for his terminally ill grandmother on that day and "pleaded guilty at the very first opportunity".
Judge James Adkin, the Recorder of Durham, said Wilson drove at "grossly excessive speed" where he hit 80mph in a 30mph zone at one stage.
Wilson was jailed for 18 months and banned from driving for 33 months.
