That was how a judge described the actions of a man who led police on a chase through tiny Warwickshire villages at speeds up to 126mph.

Warwick Crown Court heard how Stephen Oseman kept going even after three of his BMW Mini Cooper's tyres had been punctured and one had been ripped off the rim.

The 25-year-old, of Gladstone Road, Erdington, was jailed for 25 months and banned for four years after he admitted receiving stolen property, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and possessing cocaine.

Prosecutor Neil Bannister said that in October last year police began following Oseman after he drove away from a petrol station without paying for £33 of fuel, at around 11pm. An on-board camera recorded the terrifying 12-minute chase which followed.

Oseman raced through residential areas of Coventry and along shop-lined streets at speeds in excess of 80mph, drove on the wrong side road past crowds leaving pubs and through a red light.

He then headed towards Ryton on the A423, clocking more than 126mph.

After tearing through Princethorpe, Oseman more than doubled the 30mph limit in Marton and continued to speed through Long Itchington, where police managed to puncture three tyres with a 'stinger' device.

Struggling to keep control, and with sparks flying from a rim, he tore through the centre of Southam, where he went over a pelican crossing on the wrong side of the road.

After leaving the town he finally turned down a dirt track and, after crashing into a hedge, was captured following a brief flight on foot.

The defendant later tested positive for cocaine, which he said he had taken after coming to a halt so the police would not find it on him.

He said he had bought the car, which he knew was worth about £10,000, for just £1,700 the previous day, knowing it had been stolen.

Mr Bannister said the accused had 12 previous convictions for driving while disqualified, and was jailed in 2005 following a chase in a stolen Subaru.

Laura Hobson, defending, said her client had panicked when he saw the police, but had worked since October and "realised it is time to grow up".

But jailing him, Judge Richard Griffith-Jones told him: "You embarked on a lengthy journey through residential areas and out into the countryside through villages at very high speeds, well in excess of 100mph, at a time of night when there were still people about whose lives were put in jeopardy."