A DRIVER who was clocked going at more than 130 miles an hour after a terrifying high-speed journey along Loch Lomondside has been warned he’s “at real risk” of going to prison.

Brendan Black was spotted by police witnesses on the A82 at Sloy power station, north of Tarbet, earlier this year – prompting colleagues further south to lie in wait for him.

The 22-year-old was seen later that day weaving in and out of traffic in an erratic and dangerous manner, driving on the wrong side of the road towards oncoming traffic, between Arden and Balloch and on the southbound approach to the Stoneymollan roundabout.

And a short time later traffic police clocked him travelling at upwards of 130mph on the dual carriageway stretch between Balloch and Dumbarton.

Black tried to squeeze his blue Mercedes between two lines of stationary vehicles on the approach to the Lomondgate roundabout in a bid to escape from chasing police – damaging his own car, and four other vehicles, in the process.

After exiting the roundabout into a housing estate, Black struck a road sign and tried to make his escape on foot by jumping over the perimeter wall of a nearby house – only to find himself in the back garden of an off-duty police officer, who detained him until colleagues arrived at the scene.

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Black was slammed by a judge for his “outrageous” driving when he appeared at Dumbarton Sheriff Court on Friday – and told it was “miraculous” that he hadn’t killed anyone.

Black appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to two charges of driving dangerously and at excessive speed, forcing other motorists to take evasive action to avoid a collision.

Emma Thomson, prosecuting, told the court Black had evaded police on the A85 between Lochearnhead and Lix Toll, and on the A82 near Crianlarich, by driving at more than 100 miles an hour on the afternoon of Monday, April 15.

Ms Thomson said two officers had pulled Black’s vehicle over, and that one of them had gone over to the Mercedes and asked him to turn off the engine and take the keys out of the ignition – only for Black to slam his foot on the accelerator and make off.

“The accused was observed to make numerous overtaking manoeuvres at high speed,” Ms Thomson said, “overtaking vehicles on tight corners, disregarding oncoming traffic and causing others to swerve out of the way, flash their headlights and sounding their horns.

“Police lost the vehicle from their sight, but made efforts to continue the pursuit, and in making those efforts police were travelling at speeds of approximately 100mph.

“However, the suspect vehicle was clearly exceeding those speeds to make good his escape.”

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Eventually the officers were told to give up their pursuit.

But later that afternoon two other police witnesses spotted the same Mercedes being driven erratically on the A82 at the Sloy power station – prompting colleagues near Dumbarton to plan an intercept manoeuvre.

Ms Thomson continued: “A blue Mercedes was observed being driven southbound towards the Stoneymollan roundabout at Balloch in an erratic and dangerous manner, weaving in and out of traffic and into oncoming lanes approaching the roundabout.

“Police began to pursue the vehicle, which carried on southbound on the A82 towards the Lomondgate roundabout, reaching speeds of over 130mph.”

After describing how Black’s journey was ended by the collision with a sign on Studio Drive in Dumbarton, and how he was apprehended after jumping over a wall into the off-duty officer’s garden, Ms Thomson showed the court two pieces of dashcam footage shared by other motorists.

The first showed Black’s Mercedes overtaking another car on the outside of a left-hand bend on the A82 at Loch Lomondside, while the second showed the vehicle squeezing between lines of vehicles waiting at a red light on the southbound approach to Lomondgate.

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Black, of Woodvale Avenue in Airdrie, appeared without legal representation at Friday’s hearing, stating that he had repeatedly applied for legal aid to fund his defence and been told he was not eligible because his earnings were too high - though he also claimed he could not afford the up-front costs of a solicitor.

Sheriff William Gallacher told him: “I can’t force you to go and get a lawyer. But I’ve read this complaint, and this horrifies me.

“You’re at severe risk of being sent to prison. You’re also at severe risk of losing your licence for a very long time.

“The fact you didn’t kill someone is miraculous. And the fact you didn’t care whether you killed someone is manifest in your driving. That’s outrageous.

"If this court has any obligation, it is to ensure that people going about their ordinary business feel safe. You were making them anything but safe by your driving.”

After Black eventually said he would try to find the money to get a solicitor, Sheriff Gallacher agreed to defer sentence until October 1.

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But the sheriff warned him: “You can tell any lawyer you go and see that the sheriff says you’re at real risk of going to prison.

“Come back with a lawyer, or a script a lawyer has given you – or come back yourself.

“But if you come back yourself, Mr Black, I would bring your toothbrush.”

Black was told an interim driving ban imposed at an earlier hearing would remain in place.