A YOUNG motorist drove at almost 100mph the wrong way up a major North Yorkshire road in a police chase that lasted nearly half an hour, a court heard.

James William Payling, 19, was jailed for two years for offences including dangerous driving on the A19 near Thirsk.

After sentencing, Payling spat at a police liaison officer at York Crown Court.

"You've just given me two years, you can't do anything to me," the defendant told the honorary recorder of York, Judge Paul Hoffman.

But the judge said he was wrong and added six weeks for contempt of court to the two-year jail term he had just handed out.

He also described Payling's behaviour as "disgusting".

Payling, formerly of York and now of Kirkgate, Ripon, pleaded guilty to taking a £13,000 car without consent, making off without paying for £50 worth of petrol, dangerous driving, a public order offence, driving without insurance, failure to stop at a police officer's order and driving unsupervised on a provisional licence.

In addition to the jail term, he was banned from driving for two years and ordered to retake his driving test. His barrister Jeffrey Lewis said he apologised unreservedly to the member of court staff and to the court for his behaviour. Payling told the court he had a lot on his mind.

The judge said it was difficult to imagine any driving more likely to endanger lives than driving the wrong way along a carriageway at high speed.

Prosecuting barrister Tom Mitchell said a garage employee alerted police when Payling loaded 60 litres of petrol into a Renault Espace at a service station near Bedale and drove off without paying at 11.15pm on January 12. The car had been stolen in a Harrogate burglary a day or two earlier.

Police in a patrol car tried to get Payling to stop at South Otteringham on the A167, but Payling sped through Topcliffe at nearly 60 mph, along the A168.

He then turned northwards on to the southbound carriageway of the A19, and drove for three miles at between 80 and 95mph.

Police say he narrowly avoided colliding with at least five vehicles, sometimes missing them by only feet, said Mr Mitchell. Payling called out objections from the dock.

After three miles, Payling reversed and turned round, forcing another vehicle to make an emergency stop and then drove the right way down the southbound carriageway reaching 113 mph before stopping on the A1 at Dishforth.

The chase lasted 24 minutes.

As police moved in to arrest him, they heard him claim he had a gun, but after they called for assistance, he surrendered, said Mr Mitchell.

Mr Lewis said Payling did not tell the officers he had a gun. He had got the car from another man so he could drive to see his girlfriend and child, not for joy-riding.

When the police officers tried to stop him he panicked. He had never intended to injure anyone.

Updated: 10:46 Tuesday, April 09, 2002