HE STOLE a car and crashed it into a tree following a dramatic police chase through Popley – now Basingstoke man Anthony Reed has been jailed for 18 months for the crimes.

Winchester Crown Court heard at a sentencing hearing last Friday that the 20-year-old, of Quilter Road, Brighton Hill, was serving a 12-month suspended prison sentence for attempted burglary when he stole the car on June 26.

Jane Terry, prosecuting, said the car was taken from a property in High Drive, South Ham, at 6.40am, after the owner had turned on the ignition and gone back inside the house.

After discovering the car had been stolen, she called the police and the vehicle was later seen “driving dangerously” in the Popley area.

Police helicopters were then deployed to help with the search from the skies.

A police officer, who had parked at the Apollo Hotel, saw the Peugeot make its way from Aldermaston Road roundabout onto Popley Way and put his emergency lights on and followed the car.

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Reed sped off before breaking hard at the Carpenters Road junction and then turned right into John Hunt Drive, colliding with a tree at the end of the road.

The 20-year-old then ran from police and made his way to a family member’s home, but he was arrested after the police helicopter picked up his location.

A breath test at Basingstoke police station showed that Reed had 51 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. The legal drink-drive limit is 35 microgrammes per 100 millilitres of breath.

Reed pleaded guilty to taking a vehicle without consent, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving whilst disqualified and without insurance.

He also admitted taking another car and crashing it on January 16.

That car was found damaged in Winklebury Way, Winklebury, and traces of blood on the steering wheel identified the driver as Reed.

Defending Reed, Berenice Mulvanny said he had a “drink problem”, adding: “His family has tried to support him.

“On behalf of Mr Reed, I am in a sad position of saying essentially at this moment, it must be hard to see hope for him in his downward path that he can’t get out of and the truth of the matter is he has no motivation. He has no job, no significant partner or children to provide motivation for him.”

Reed was sentenced to two months imprisonment for taking the vehicle without consent on January 16 and a further four months for the incident in Popley.

He was also ordered to serve the 12-month suspended sentence.

Sentencing Reed to a total of 18 months imprisonment, Judge Keith Cutler said: “It is despairing. What is anyone going to do with you? I really, really hope you will at some stage, and this might be the time, think ‘I am not going to live this life like this’.

“When you come out of custody, become something and someone who is positive. It has got to be down to you.”