A TEENAGER led police on a dramatic high speed chase through the town and headed the wrong way down an A14 exit slip road in a incident described as “15 or 20 minutes of madness”, a court has been told.

A TEENAGER led police on a dramatic high speed chase through the town and headed the wrong way down an A14 exit slip road in a drama described as “15 or 20 minutes of madness”, a court has been told.

The 17year-old's trail of terror saw numerous other drivers swerving to avoid him and a pedestrian running to safety as the youth jumped a red light where they were crossing the road.

Police eventually called off the chase as the Vauxhall Corsa headed towards Bramford on the B1113 overtaking other cars and driving on the wrong side of the single carriageway road.

The teenager admitted dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, driving without insurance and driving other than in accordance with his licence.

At South East Suffolk Magistrates' Court yesterday he was sentenced to a 12 month training and detention order and disqualified from driving for 18 months. He will have to pass an extended driving test before he can get behind the wheel again.

David Taylor told the court that the chase took place on November 5 at around 12.45pm, beginning at Stoke Bridge by the Novotel and finishing when police called it off on the B1113.

He said at one point the teenager drove down the A14 off-slip road from the westbound carriageway at the top of Bourne Hill, turning left at the bottom so he was driving in the right direction.

Shortly afterwards the car spun out of control and ended up straddling two lanes of the dual carriageway, narrowly missed by a lorry and a motorcyclist before he drove off again.

John Hughes, mitigating, said the teenager had “realised after the event how dangerous this whole incident could have been.”

He said the defendant had been doing well following an 18-month jail sentence for robbery in August 2008 and had risked throwing it away “in 15 or 20 minutes of madness.”

The youth told police he had panicked because a passenger in the car had not wanted to speak to officers and had urged him not to stop.

Chairman of the bench, Roy Condon, told the teenager: “It is just about the worst case of dangerous driving we have envisaged, it can't get much worse. You drove for an extended period at high speed through a built-up area. It was the middle of the day and there were lots of people and vehicles around.”