A 20-YEAR-OLD Oldbury driver has been banned from the roads for two years after leading police on a high speed chase in Stourbridge.

Jack Greenaway sped off in a Renault Clio he had bought just three days earlier when police officers rushed to Amblecote Primary School following reports of violence outside the school, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

Officers had been deployed following reports of balaclava-clad men carrying machetes.

Greenaway was not involved at all in the reported incident with the balaclava-wearing men, stressed Brett Wilson, defending, he simply panicked because he had cannabis in the car.

During the high speed chase, he drove on the wrong side of the road, went through traffic lights on red and forced other motorists to take action to avoid a crash.

He finally turned into a dead end street and, after doing a handbrake turn, drove into a police car before running away on foot but he was quickly arrested by officers.

Greenaway, a man of previous good character, later told police he had panicked when he saw the officers and he accepted he had put other road users at risk by his bad driving.

Mr Wilson told the court Greenaway, of Hilltop Road, had just bought the car out of his benefits and he realised immediately he had made a big mistake.

Judge John Wait told him he had clearly been idle in the four years since he left school during which time he had misused the controlled drug and he added: "You drew attention to yourself and when the police officers arrived on the scene you tried to escape."

Greenaway admitted dangerous driving, having no insurance or a licence, failing to stop for a police officer and possessing cannabis - and he was given a four-month jail sentence, suspended for 18 months.

He was also ordered to carry out 160 hours unpaid work in the community and banned from driving for two years.

The judge also ordered Greenaway's car should be seized and told him he must obey a three-month curfew between the hours of 8pm and 6am.