A woman led police on a high-speed chase across pavements and through red lights and only stopped when she crashed the car into a power box.
Elle Binnie came to the attention of police after going the wrong way down a one-way street and took off at high speed when they tried to speak to her.
After the dangerous pursuit ended with a crash near Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, the 27-year-old hurled abuse and threats of violence at police officers.
Fiscal depute Lydia Ross told Aberdeen Sheriff Court the incident began just before 9pm on December 29 2021 when officers on patrol spotted Binnie driving on South Mount Street.
‘Became volatile’
They saw her ignore a no entry sign and travel the wrong way down a one-way section of Rosemount Place.
When the officers signalled for Binnie to stop, she instead “accelerated harshly” and a pursuit was declared.
Binnie continued to drive “well in excess of the speed limit” and was lost to view.
However, a short time later she was spotted again by officers in an unmarked car which began to follow her.
But as soon as she realised it was a police car her driving again became “erratic” and she turned onto Smithfield Drive and then onto Provost Rust Drive.
She then drove across a footpath and onto North Anderson Drive.
‘Very high risk of injury to other road users’
Still being pursued by the police, Binnie turned left onto Westburn Road where she drove through a red light and continued at “excessive speed”.
Approaching the junction with Foresterhill Road, the chase finally came to an end when Binnie ploughed into the power box.
When officers caught up with her she “became volatile”, shouting and swearing at them.
She threatened to headbutt one officer and made homophobic slurs.
Binnie, of Provost Rust Drive, pled guilty to dangerous driving, driving without a licence and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
Defence agent Tony Burgess, explaining a comment his client had made in a background report, said: “She was not under the influence of drugs at the time.
“What she meant is her decision-making was affected by virtue of the fact she uses illegal substances.”
He went on: “She’d been at a friend’s house earlier in the evening. The owner of the vehicle was also there.
“She’s not sure why she took the car but accepts that she did.”
‘The court has to take a very dim view of such behaviour’
Mr Burgess explained Binnie made an error in going down the one-way street and then, not having a licence, sped off to try to evade the police.
He added: “Not being a qualified, skilled driver, it came to an end when she lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a power box as described.
“I think it’s fair to say she recognises she ought not to have taken the car that evening.
“There seems to be genuine regret and remorse expressed.”
Sheriff Philip Mann said: “This was a disgraceful piece of driving which must have caused a very high risk of injury to other road users.
“The driving was so bad that you ended up crashing the vehicle.
“The court has to take a very dim view of such behaviour.”
He banned Binnie from driving for two years and, as an alternative to imprisonment, handed her a year’s supervision, a five-month curfew and a £270 fine.
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