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Banned driver led cops on Glasgow chase after being caught leaving lover’s home at 4am

A DRIVER banned for life who broke coronavirus measures and went on a five-mile police chase was jailed today for 16 months.

Malcolm Hutcheon, 50, drove on three wheels in the latter part of the chase through Glasgow in April this year.

Hutcheon fled in his Vauxhall Vetra after being seen leaving his girlfriend’s house at 4am.

He pled guilty today at Glasgow Sheriff Court to dangerous driving, driving whilst disqualified and without insurance.

The court heard Hutcheon raced from the property in the city’s Bishopbriggs when approached by a police car.

Hutcheon drove at “excessive speed” while being tracked by a police car with its lights and siren going.

He mounted a pavement at a roundabout at speed while driving at 90mph in a 30mph zone.

Prosecutor Mark Allan said: “As the vehicle driven by Hutcheon passed the Garfield Hotel, the front near side wheel came off.

“I presume this was caused by the damage from the roundabout.”

Hutcheon continued for another quarter of a mile before the vehicle “spun out of control” and he fled on foot into a field at the Crow Wood Golf Club.

He was arrested and it was found he had been banned from driving for life since 1999.

Lawyer, Neal McShane, told the court Hutcheon, of the city’s Cranhill, has had several driving offences with the first being when he was 15.

He added: “This offence occurred during the lockdown period clearly and he visited his girlfriend who lived nearby.

“For reasons only known to himself, he chose to drive there when on reflection he shouldn’t have.

“There was a chance he could be identified given the current circumstances and he panicked.”

Sheriff Alan Mackenzie told Hutcheon that he was jailed due to his record and banned him from driving for 10 years and six months.