The pregnant girlfriend of a York tattoo artist wept in court as he was jailed for driving dangerously and while banned.

York Crown Court heard how Ian Shields, 35, rode a motorbike through a red traffic light and at speeds of up to 45mph along Burton Stone Lane, York, and surrounding streets while being pursued by police who had recognised him as a disqualified driver.

James Robinson, prosecuting, said Shields, who was carrying a passenger, was arrested after he lost control on a bend during the chase and crashed into the back of a police car.

Shields, of Monkton Road, York, who appeared in custody yesterday, had absconded to Ireland after being charged by police and failed to face magistrates in York.

He later returned and handed himself in to his solicitor.

Mr Robinson said Shields had been banned twice previously; once in 1996 for three years for drink driving, without a licence or insurance, and again in February 1997 for driving while disqualified - only two months before the chase.

He was given a nine-month jail term and a two-year driving ban for dangerous driving, a concurrent six-month sentence for driving while disqualified, a consecutive one-month term for failing to surrender to court, and was fined £1 for driving without insurance.

Shields was told half his total term of ten months would be suspended.

David Lamb, mitigating, referred the court to pre-sentence and psychiatric reports and said: "Mr Shields is a man with considerable problems in his life."

He said things started to go wrong when Shields' relationship with his ex-wife began to break down and their children were taken into care.

He added: "There is now hope for the future. The young lady who sits in the public gallery this morning is expecting his child and that gives him the opportunity to look forward to when that child is born."

Recorder Stephen Williamson QC told Shields: "You have been in trouble for motoring offences on a number of occasions and you knew the court would take a dim view of you driving while disqualified.

"The reports do not give me any special reason to avoid the normal consequences."

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