South Shields drug driver went past police 20mph above speed limit in Audi with only three wheels

Ryhan Yakub, 20, was driving his Audi on only three wheels – meaning metal from the missing fourth was also scraping the road.

And Yakub, of Hatfield Square, Woodbine Estate, South Shields, had class A cocaine in his system and in his possession.

He has now been handed an interim driving ban ahead of sentencing after pleading guilty to road and drugs charges at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court.

Prosecutor Paul Anderson said Yakub was seen by police as he powered along the 40mph Western Approach, also South Shields, on Sunday, November 21.

Mr Anderson added: “On this night, police heard the sound of scraping along the road.

“They saw an Audi Q2 arrive at speed on three wheels, and where the fourth should have been, was where the noise was coming from.

“The car passed and the driver almost lost control at 60pmh, before turning into Reed Street and coming to a sudden stop.

“The driver tried to turn around but due to the slope and the state of the wheels, could not.

“He was abusive to police and appeared to be under the influence. He’s found in possession of four bags of cocaine.”

A test revealed Yakub had 11mcg of cocaine per litre of blood in his system, against a legal limit of 10mcg.

He also had cocaine breakdown product BZE at a level of 337mcg. The legal limit is 50mcg.

Yakub pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving without insurance, two charges of drug driving and possession of cocaine.

David Forrester, defending, said: “There are two ways of being convicted of dangerous driving.

“One is what we think of as a fast car chase, the second is because a car is in a dangerous condition.

“This is not the normal kind of a police chase, it’s more about the condition of the vehicle.

“It’s one drug which breaks down into two. There are some mental health issues.”

Magistrates handed Yakub an interim driving ban and adjourned the case for reports to the same court on Wednesday, June 22.

He was granted bail on condition he works with the Probation Service to compile the report.