A teenage driver led police on a high speed chase before finally being brought to a halt with a stinger device, a court heard.

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Ryan Briggs, 19, panicked when stopped by police in Hunstanton on November 3, last year, because the VW car he was driving had a defective brake light, Norwich Crown Court heard.

Simon Shannon, prosecuting, said Briggs told the officer a false name but then had driven off and refused to stop for police, who followed with their blue light flashing.

Mr Shannon said that Briggs drove at 70mph in a 30mph zone and overtook cars, on one occasion narrowly avoiding a head-on collision.

Mr Shannon said Briggs, who had two passengers in the car, was finally brought to a halt when police deployed a stinger in the road at Dersingham.

He said when Briggs was arrested he was also found to have a small amount of cannabis. It was also discovered that he only held a provisional licence.

Briggs, of Rowan Close, Wisbech, admitted dangerous driving and driving without insurance and without a full licence.

Judge Alice Robinson imposed a 12-month driving ban and six months custody suspended for 18 months.

She also imposed a four-month curfew.

She told Briggs: " You made a serious error of judgement."

She told him: "You thought to take off and evade police rather than stopping and engaging with them. As a result there was a high speed chase."

Judge Robinson said that as well as the dangerous driving he also had no insurance and said: "People that drive about with no insurance are a menace."

Jason Stevens, defending, said Briggs had panicked when stopped by police: "He has reacted in a terrible way to a situation."

He said that Briggs was apologetic and said: "He feels he has let himself down and his family down tremendously."

He said Briggs was not stopped because of the manner of his driving but because of the brake light and said were it not for the Covid restrictions he would have taken his driving test.