Man jailed after speeding past horse-drawn hearse

A driver has been jailed for 14 months after speeding past a horse-drawn hearse on a city street.

Jason Dewsbury drove at speeds of up to 90mph (145km/h) during a five-minute police chase in Oxford on 22 September.

The father of four pleaded guilty at Oxford Crown Court to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

Judge Nigel Daly said: "There was so much smoke coming from the car it could be seen from space."

Dewsbury, of Trinity Road, Headington, had previously been convicted of 38 driving offences, the court heard.

During the chase, he drove through residential streets with 20mph (32km/h) limits and reached 90mph on the 50mph (80km/h) Eastern Bypass.

His barrister, George Joseph, told the court it was a "bizarre case" as his client had cycled to his job as a mechanic and only driven to test the car that he was due to service.

He said the defendant was a dedicated family man whose partner was pregnant with their fifth child.

However, Judge Daly said Dewsbury was a danger to the public with no prospect of rehabilitation and it was fortunate that the funeral horses did not bolt.

He disqualified Dewsbury from driving for 31 months.

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