A top traffic police officer has branded a drug addict “selfish and dangerous” after he stole a car and led police on a high-speed chase through Tayside.
Heroin addict Steven Finnie drove the wrong way down a dual carriageway into oncoming traffic after police had blown his tyres with a stinger device.
The 33-year-old, who was banned from driving and high on drugs, was also pursued through a quiet Perthshire village where he was clocked travelling at a speed of 70mph.
Police eventually managed to bring him to a controlled stop on a grass verge of the A9.
Finnie, of Dundee, was jailed for two years and banned from driving for nine years at Perth Sheriff Court on Tuesday.
Inspector Ian Martin, in charge of trunk road policing within Perth and Kinross, described Finnie’s behaviour as “outrageous”.
He said: “When the driver was stopped and dealt with he was found to be disqualified but he has continued to go out and recklessly drive without care for anybody else, especially when you consider the state he was in.
“He was putting people in danger, including a lot of members of the public, who would have been going through the village at teatime on a Sunday.
“He also caused a danger to police officers who were in pursuit and there was also an element of danger for the officers who were at the side of the road. It was extremely selfish behaviour and it is scary to think what could have happened.”
The court heard that Finnie stole a Kia Picanto car from Earn Crescent in Dundee on January 11.
He was spotted by officers the same day weaving across the carriageway of the A9, forcing other cars to take evasive action.
Finnie turned off the road and led two police cars on a chase through the village of Birnam at a speed of 70mph.
He returned to the southbound carriageway of the A9, where police had set up a stinger device.
Despite the two front tyres being punctured, Finnie continued and ignored a ‘no entry’ sign to drive south on the northbound carriageway.
But with his speed reduced to 40mph, police were able to get in front of the car and bring it to a controlled stop.
In total, five police cars were involved in the pursuit.
Inspector Martin added: “Thankfully, nobody was injured but there was damage to a couple of patrol cars.
“They have had to go for repair when they could be out dealing with real work.
“You hope that something like this never happens but officers have been trained as part of their courses.”
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