A drug dealer caught in a stolen car with two sets of false registration plates has avoided jail.
Umer Sufyan, 22, was spotted driving the Mercedes in Heywood before a check revealed it had been stolen in a burglary just a month before.
As officers attempted to flag it down, the driver - Sufyan - drove off at speeds of 90 miles per hour.
READ MORE:
The pursuit came to an end after one of the front tyres was torn off, Minshull Street Crown Court heard.
Sufyan was later searched where he was found to be in possession of a number of wraps of cannabis, a burner phone and £220 in cash - as well as two sets of false registration plates.
He has since pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis; dangerous driving and handling stolen goods.
Prosecutor Patrick Williamson said the officers’ attention was drawn to the 65 plate Mercedes as it drove through Heywood.
The police spotted them driving at excessive speeds and carried out a PNC check, only to find the previous owner of the car was from Leicester.
They decided to stop the car, but as soon as they pulled up alongside the Mercedes, it sped off reaching speeds of 90 miles per hour on roads with a 40 mile per hour limit.
“The front nearside tyre was deflated and it appeared the defendant was having trouble controlling the vehicle,” Mr Williamson said.
“He turned left into an industrial estate which was a dead end, and the tyre then came completely away from the vehicle.
“The defendant and the male passenger attempted to escape, but he [Sufyan] was detained.”
Further checks revealed that the car had been stolen in a burglary around a month before in Lancashire.
A search of Sufyan found £220 in cash and a burner phone.
The Mercedes was also searched, in which officers found 37 snap bags of cannabis worth around £500, and two snap bags of white powder worth around £25.
Officers also found two sets of false registration plates.
His house in Rochdale was also searched, which resulted in two further snap bags of cannabis being found.
His phone was seized in which 67 calls were made and received, and a further 256 text messages were sent and received in the day leading up to his arrest
The majority of the messages were related to ‘small deals’, but the night before at 11pm, there was a request for ten ounces of cannabis, the prosecutor said.
Sufyan was interviewed about the matter but declined to comment.
He was said to have no previous convictions.
Mitigating, Keith Harrison said: “The presentence report indicated a lack of maturity rather than deliberate malevolence.
“There was previous drug use and a drug debt.
“He does have a good family who are very supportive of him.”
Sentencing him to a suspended sentence, Recorder Samantha Presland said: “This was a high value Mercedes and you had two sets of false plates, which shows you had an intention to evade the law and an intention to carry on with what was a significant dealing business.
“This was extremely dangerous speeds and its clear you could have caused significant harm to anyone crossing the road at that time, and you are simply lucky that nobody came to any harm.
“It became clear to the police that you knew what you were doing as you had two sets of false plates.”
Sufyan, of Maple Street, was handed 16 months imprisonment which was suspended for 18 months, an 18 month community order, 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirements and 200 hours of unpaid work.
As he left the dock, the judge told him: “You are clearly an intelligent man and have managed to hold down a job - think carefully about how you want to lead your life going forward, rather than thinking of ‘get rich quick’ schemes though dealing.”
See the latest court and crime news in your area by receiving email updates