A LEARNER driver from Quarry Bank who abandoned his £150 car after a police chase, was finally nabbed by police due to his distinctive haircut.

Ashley Greenwood drove off when officers pulled up behind his Vauxhall Corsa, near the Merry Hill shopping centre, hitting speeds of 50mph in a 30mph zone.

The 19-year-old then went through traffic lights on red, forcing other drivers to take evasive action, said Geoffrey Dann, prosecuting.

He told Wolverhampton Crown Court the officers gave up the chase but they then saw the vehicle parked up and picked out the teenager, who was on foot, because of his haircut.

Greenwood, of Thorns Road, admitted driving dangerously and without a licence or insurance and he was placed on supervision for 12 months.

He was also disqualified from driving for 18 months, ordered to carry out 100 hours unpaid work and to obey an eight week curfew between the hours of 7pm and 7am.

Judge Philip Parker QC told him he had acknowledged, when interviewed by police after his arrest, that his driving could have lead to a fatality.

The judge said if he had hit someone during the chase he would have been going into custody for "many, many years," adding, "You stupidly bought this car when you could not afford to drive."

He told Greenwood that now he had a conviction on his record for dangerous driving he would find it extremely difficult to obtain insurance in the future.

"Your ambition to drive has now virtually ceased," he concluded.

Blondelle Thompson, defending, told the court that Greenwood panicked when he saw the police car.

She said: "He made an extremely rash decision to drive away. The car has now been destroyed and he knows his foolish actions have cost him the money he paid for the vehicle.

“He has learned a hard lesson."