A cocaine and booze fuelled teen, who drove like a ‘madman’ from Penyffordd to Chester, set off on a whim to meet friends in the city for drinks.

Rhys Henry sparked a high speed police chase as he raced towards the city, narrowly missing a number of taxis and reaching speeds of 100 miles an hour.

The 19-year-old, who had taken cocaine and drunk a considerable amount of alcohol, was followed by officers after almost smashing into a police car while driving the BMW the wrong way around a roundabout.

A Chester judge said it was lucky no one had been ‘wiped out’ by the plasterer who stole his sleeping girlfriend’s BMW and drove like ‘a madman’ from his brother-in-law’s house in Penyffordd almost 70 miles to the city, before crashing into a bush.

Henry, of Kingsway in Hope, was sent to a young offenders’ institution for 12 months after pleading guilty to aggravated vehicle taking, driving while under the influence of alcohol, and failing to stop for police during the dramatic incident on September 27.

He was also disqualified from driving for three years during the hearing at Chester Crown Court on Monday, February 9.

The teenager also pleaded guilty to driving without a licence and without third party insurance.

Henry had drunk a ‘considerable’ amount of alcohol when he stole his girlfriend’s BMW one series, pinching her keys while she was in bed at around 11pm on September 27.

The silver BMW sparked a massive police chase after almost hitting a officer’s car while being driven the wrong way around the Deva Link roundabout, the court heard.

“The officer witnessed the vehicle along Sealand Road driving at a speed of 90mph, the road was a 60mph zone at that stage,” said Mandy Nepal, prosecuting, who described how officers chased the vehicle down Blacon Avenue, the A494, A5118 and the A5480 during the dramatic incident.

“The vehicle was weaving from one side of Sealand Road to another, it continued to exceed between 90 and 100mph.

“It exited the A550 towards Wrexham where it narrowly avoided collision with a taxi.”

More officers were sent as the chase continued, with Henry almost colliding with a second taxi before losing control of the car and crashing into a bush.

Henry was arrested at the scene and when breathalysed had 57mg per 100ml of breath – way above the legal limit of 35mg.

He told police he had taken cocaine.

The teenager, who has had no previous dealings with the police, drove some 67 miles when he was drunk after ‘sporadically’ deciding he wanted to meet some friends in Chester, said Oliver King, defending, who said his client was remorseful.

He said: “It was sporadic, there was no planning to it, he didn’t really think about it, that is the point. He knows he could have taken a taxi and realises he should have.

“Fortunately it was late at night, the situation could have been very different if it had been rush hour. The first vehicle he came across was the police car, it was at that point he started driving dangerously.”

Sentencing the teenager, The Recorder of Chester Judge Elgan Edwards said: “[He] needs a genuine understanding that this could have ended very differently, he could have wiped himself out, all be it someone else.

“You were well over the legal limit, you did not have to drive anywhere. You drove and took part in a chase in which you were trying to escape capture.

“If you ever do anything like this again [you will be jailed] for very much longer next time.”