Scottish repeat offender jailed for 'aggressive driving' during 3am car chase

A 33-year-old repeat offender has been jailed after crashing into two other vehicles and attacking a police officer during a car chase in Clydebank.

Gary McMahon carried on driving after crashing his Mercedes into another car and a van and eventually prompted a police officer tailing him to abandon the chase for fears for his safety.

Fiscal depute Emma Petterson said: "A police witness in a marked vehicle on Kilbowie Road decided to stop the Mercedes to speak to the driver.

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"The officer exited their marked vehicle but the accused immediately accelerated away, swerving around the police vehicle in an aggressive manner.

The driver was stopped by an officer on Kilbowie Road before driving away at high speed. Picture: GoogleThe driver was stopped by an officer on Kilbowie Road before driving away at high speed. Picture: Google
The driver was stopped by an officer on Kilbowie Road before driving away at high speed. Picture: Google

"He accelerated on to Second Avenue and drove off at speed."

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Mr McMahon violently resisted attempts to detain him, and tried to grab a police officer's baton, forcing the cop to call for backup using a panic alarm.

It later emerged that McMahon only held a provisional driving licence and had no insurance.

Mr McMahon pleaded guilty to driving dangerously, without insurance, without an accompanying qualified driver and without displaying L plates, and was sentenced to four months in jail and has been banned from driving until June 2021. Sheriff John Hamilton said: "Your driving was about as bad as it gets - and when officers, having broken off the chase, come to detain you you attempt to escape and engage in a violent struggle."The repeat offender claimed in the dock that he was 'disgusted' with himself after the crime spree in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire.

Sheriff Hamilton said: "So you should be."

Since 2003, Mr McMahon's record shows crimes of violence, dishonesty, misuse of drugs and carrying knives. Sheriff Hamilton said: "In 2006 you were convicted of assault and robbery at the High Court in Glasgow and got five years in the jail.

"But that didn't seem to make any difference - in 2015 you were convicted of assault, and in January this year a jury in Paisley found you guilty of carrying a knife.

"Given the information before me, I'm not convinced there is any way I can deal with this other than a custodial sentence."