MOTORISTS had to swerve out of the way to avoid being hit when a Swansea man drove at high speed in an attempt to get away from the police.

Some had to mount the kerb to get out of the way of Sterling Brian Croft's oncoming Ford Puma, a court heard.

The incident was described when 28-year-old Croft, of Emlyn Road, Mayhill, was sentenced at Swansea Crown Court after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

He also admitted driving with insufficient tyre tread, failing to stop when required by the police, and possessing cannabis.

Croft was given a 32-week jail sentence which Judge Christopher Vosper QC agreed to suspend for two years.

He was also banned from the road for 12 months and ordered to carry out 100 hours of unpaid work for the community.

Another aspect of the sentence is that for the next three months Croft must stay indoors under an 8pm-to-6am curfew.

Accident

The court heard that at 8.25pm on April 20 this year Croft had cannabis in his possession when he was driving along Mumbles Road in the direction of Mumbles.

Also travelling in that direction was a police car heading to a road traffic accident.

Croft panicked on seeing the police car's blue lights behind him and started to overtake other cars at high speed.

At the junction with Mayals Road he overtook vehicles in the right-hand lane and later, when he was travelling at 60mph, a number of oncoming vehicles had to swerve to avoid being hit.

He also went the wrong way round a traffic island near Llwynderw Drive before eventually stopping in Fairwood Road.

He was caught in possession of £10 of cannabis, said prosecutor Nicola Powell, and both front tyres on his car were found to be defective.

Paul Hobson, in mitigation, emphasised that although Croft had committed many offence in the past, he had stayed out of trouble since being sent to prison in 2005 for an offence of wounding.

"He has made obvious efforts to change his life over a significant period," said the barrister.

Judge Vosper, suspending imprisonment, said he was prepared to regard the events of April 20 as an "isolated blip" in what was otherwise a constructive lifestyle.

Croft had made good progress since 2005 and the court did not want to see that disappear as a result of a "moment of foolishness" on his part.

But the judge emphasised that over the next two years Croft would be "very much in jeopardy" if he were to break the law again.

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