A 32-year old Newent man who led police on a high speed chase just a month after he had been banned from driving has been locked up – and disqualified from the roads for another four years.

Prosecutor Michael Hall told Gloucester Crown Court that Dino Urbano, of Lobelia Row, Newent, reached speeds of 100mph on the B4215 which has a limit of 50mph.

Later, he travelled through the centre of Newent at 77mph.

Mr Hall said that on May 17 this year, Urbano was seen driving a car with no insurance.

He added: “Sergeant Gladwin, who was in an unmarked police car, was alerted to the vehicle on the B4215 between Gloucester and Newent,” said Mr Hall.

“He saw the vehicle, driven by the defendant, pull into the Highleadon fuel station at around 4pm.

“The sergeant illuminated the blue lights and gestured to Urbano to switch off his engine.

“Urbano ignored this and reversed the vehicle and drove around the police car and sped off. Sgt Gladwin then followed and gave pursuit to keep up with Urbano at speed.

“A pursuit that lasted for three miles then ensued.

“He travelled along the B4215 at speeds of 100mph – twice the limit of 50mph – on a road with a number of blind bends.

“He overtook other vehicles when the road markings had double white lines. He was also driving with the thin spare wheel in place and that in itself limited the maximum safe speed of the vehicle to 50mph.

“Urbano then filtered left and headed towards Newent town centre and entered the 30 mph zone at a speed of 77 mph.

“He turned into a housing estate and was still travelling at 55 mph and found himself in a dead end road.

“He got out of his vehicle and fled, but Sgt Gladwin gave chase and found Urbano hiding in a stream.

“Urbano was searched, as was the vehicle, and 30 grams of crack cocaine was discovered under the driver’s seat.”

The court was told that the drug was valued at around £1,000 in street deals.

Mr Hall and that Urbano had been banned from driving for four years only a month before the offence.

“This was the fourth occasion he had driven while banned – and he had previously been convicted of dangerous driving in 2009.

Steven Young, defending, said “He states that the 30 grams of the cocaine was for his and his partner’s own consumption but he admits selling some of it to fund his own habit.

“He bought the car to live in as he had become homeless.

“But in reality this is not an ideal scenario for somebody who has been banned from driving.”

Urbano told the court he had previously worked as a park ranger and as a consultant, but had not worked for the past couple of years due to problems with his mental health.

Urbano pleaded guilty to possessing a quantity of cocaine with intent to supply 30 grams of cocaine on May 17 when he appeared before Judge Ian Lawrie KC last Wednesday (June 14).

He also admitted to driving a motor vehicle dangerously, having no insurance; driving whilst disqualified and he admitted being in breach of a suspended sentence.

Judge Lawrie told Urbano: “It’s inevitable that I have to pass a prison sentence on you today.

“This is because you are before me for a culmination of offences and because you breached a suspended sentence, I have to activate that in full.

“This was an appalling piece of driving.

“Drugs were found in your car. You tried to evade arrest because you knew the drugs were in the vehicle.

“Your guilty pleas are effectively the only mitigation that I can accept.

“The total sentence of imprisonment I impose on you is three years and three months.

“You will be banned from driving for four years from the day you are released from prison.”