A dad-to-be put false plates on his car and went stealing diesel from garages to earn money for his new baby, a court has heard.
Tyler David James Rowles hit three petrol stations in Swansea in quick succession, using cans in the back of his Audi to take more than £180-worth of fuel.
He was spotted by police the following day, and officers used a "stinger" device to puncture his tyres - but he drove-on before crashing on a busy motorway roundabout.
A judge told the 28-year-old he had no regard for the rules of the road, and he sent him to prison for 20 months.
Swansea Crown Court heard that on February 25 this year Rowles, who also goes by the name Rowes, fitted false plates to his Audi A3 car.
Dyfed Thomas, prosecuting, said the defendant then drove to three petrol stations in the city - the Tesco supermarket, and the Asda store on Swansea Enterprise Zone, and the Texaco garage on Mumbles Road in Blackpill.
The prosecutor said there was a "similar modus operandi" in each of the three thefts, with Rowles staying behind the wheel of the Audi while a passenger filled containers in the vehicle's boot.
The car then drove off without payment being made.
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The court heard the thefts were reported to the police, and the following day the Audi was spotted by officers in the Gorseinon area.
Police signalled for Rowles to stop - but he responded by putting his foot down.
The defendant drove through Pontarddulais , Garnswllt, Ammanford, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Pontardawe and Clydach as the police tried to stop him.
At one stage police deployed a "stinger" on the road to try to puncture Rowles' tyres - the defendant drove onto the pavement in an attempt the avoid the device, but two of his tyres were nevertheless punctured.
For the remainder of the chase Rowles drove on shredded tyres and wheel-rims - though the speeds reached were only about 40mph, he was seen to weave across the lane as he struggled to control the car.
Mr Thomas said that on the the main A4067 Swansea Valley road Rowles went the wrong way around the Glais roundabout, and then led officers through Clydach and Ynystawe before losing control on the Ynysforgan roundabout and being brought to a stop by the pursuing police cars.
Rowles and his passenger made-off on foot, but were chased and caught nearby - Rowles was found hiding in a culvert.
He gave a "no comment" interview following his arrest.
Rowles, of Parc Avenue, Morriston , had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving with no insurance, failing to stop, going equipped for theft, and three counts of making off without payment when he appeared in the dock via videolink from Swansea prison.
The court heard he has numerous previous convictions for driving matters including driving while disqualified, careless driving, and three for dangerous driving - one of these offences had involved him driving into a shopworker who was trying to stop him getting away with stolen goods at Swansea's Parc Tawe retail park.
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Andrew Evans, for Rowles, said the motivation for the thefts had been unusual.
He said after the defendant's release from his last prison sentence he had found employment with his dad's removal company in Bristol - but when that dried up he returned to Swansea where he found himself without benefits or work, and with a child on the way this summer.
The advocate said Rowles decided to make money to give to his pregnant partner by stealing fuel to sell on to others.
Judge Peter Heywood told Rowles he had an "appalling record" for driving offences, and clearly had "no respect for the road traffic laws of his country".
He told the defendant he had obviously planned the fuel thefts, and while the police pursuit had not been a high-speed one he had clearly put other road users at risk because of the state of the damaged Audi.
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Rowes was sentenced to 20 months, of which he will serve half on licence. He was also banned from driving for two years.
The court heard the passenger from the crashed Audi was questioned by police but denied knowing anything about the diesel thefts, and said he had only just been picked up by Rowles - no action was taken against him.
The prosecutor said it might be thought that the police had taken a "somewhat generous view" of the passenger's possible involvement in the matter.
