A SERIAL bad driver fled police at up to 100 mph before abandoning his car on a railway line near Norton, York Crown Court heard.

Adam Virr, 34, raced down Commercial Street at 70mph just before midnight on October 20, Helen Towers, prosecuting, said.

He tried to ram the pursuing police and turned off his headlines.

His Vectra had cloned false number plates and he gave a false name when he was finally arrested.

It was the latest in a career of bad driving that has seen him amass 12 convictions for dangerous driving.

"He has probably got the worst driving record I have ever seen," said the Recorder of York, Judge Sean Morris.

He said he lost count of the number of times Virr had broken driving bans.

He told Virr: "It is a miracle you haven't killed anyone."

Of the false number plates, he said: "It smacks of professionalism".

Virr, of High Street, Cleckheaton, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified, driving without insurance, fraudulent use of number plates and obstructing police.

He was jailed for 21 months, consecutive to the 44-month sentence he was given in Bradford in December for more dangerous driving offences committed four days after the Norton offences.

He was also banned from driving for another 53 months and ordered to take an extended driving test before driving unsupervised again.

Defence barrister Robin Frieze said Virr had had to leave his home city of Bradford for family reasons, following his release from prison in April 2020.

Virr claimed he hadn't realised police were after him until they tried to box him in on Lidl supermarket car park.

The 34-year-old also claimed he had abandoned the car on the railway line to delay the police.

Mr Frieze said Virr understood after his arrest the railway line was disused.

Ms Towers said police in an unmarked car spotted Virr at 11.45pm and the pursuit began.

In October, a police spokesman said members of the North Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Group and Operational Support Unit were deployed in unmarked vehicles at key locations around the area, following reports from a Malton farmer of suspicious behaviour.

Ms Towers told the court Virr headed down the B1253 towards Malton, driving aggressively at 90mph to 100mph.

At Lidl's car park, police surrounded Virr's car but he managed to drive out of the circle and away.