A CONVICTED robber crashed his car into a house after leading police on a high-speed chase through east Hull. Scott Knowles' car smashed through a garden fence in Halliwell Close and came to rest against the wall of the house after the chase through the Greatfield estate.
A judge said he was lucky not to kill or seriously injure someone during the chase.
Knowles, 24, had been released early from a five-year sentence imposed for partially blinding a pizza delivery driver during a robbery in 2010.
Police tried to stop Knowles when they saw him driving an uninsured Vauxhall Corsa in Grange Road, but he sped off towards Annandale Road at more than 50mph.
Richard Thompson, prosecuting at Hull Crown Court, said: "There were other stationary vehicles in front of him, so he drove over a pedestrian refuge and on to the wrong side of the road.
"A number of vehicles had to brake and take evasive action."
Knowles then sped past a "bustling" Elmbridge Parade, where the streets were filled with shoppers, and on to Falkland Road.
He led police round Saltford and Bamford Avenue, before crossing into Southwell Avenue and turning into Dodswell Grove, then Stockwell Grove.
Mr Thompson said: "He braked heavily and turned into Halliwell Close. He started to brake and hit the kerb, bounced up through a fence and came to rest against the house.
"He got out and made off and the officer pursued him through gardens. Ultimately, he detained him."
Knowles' barrister Nigel Clive said he knew the residents of the house he crashed into and had repaid them for the damage to the fence.
"He has shown contrition for the offence and has apologised to the owner," said Mr Clive.
"He also arranged for the fence to be fixed, which demonstrates he knows he has done wrong.
"Thankfully, the dangerous driving is not the worst of its kind and nobody was hurt."
Knowles, of Mirfield Grove, east Hull, admitted dangerous driving, driving without insurance or a licence and failing to stop.
Judge Michael Mettyear, the Honorary Recorder of Hull and the East Riding, said: "This was a bad offence. This was a built-up area that you were going through, trying to escape detection.
"Just a careless step by a pedestrian could have caused terrible injury or even death.
"Not only were you driving like that when there were lots of people around, you were out on licence at the time. This was absolutely disgraceful conduct."
Knowles had been jailed for five years in 2010 after robbing a pizza delivery driver he had lured to Holland Street, east Hull.
He hid behind a bush and jumped out and attacked defenceless driver Alan Stevens, punching him six times in the face.
He escaped with £200 cash, the driver's phone and the pizzas.
Mr Stevens, who was 56 at the time, suffered a rupture to his eye and lost his sight for a period of time.
Mr Clive said, since his release, Knowles had been doing voluntary work to try to get a job.
He said: "His record does him no favours, but this is perhaps a young man with a brighter future than his past conduct before the court."
Knowles was jailed for a year and banned from driving for two years.
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