A suspected hare courser put people's lives at risk while leading police on a car chase at speeds of up to 90mph.

Tony Baker, from Maidstone, was in Cambridgeshire on Boxing Day 2020 when three members of the public rang 999 about reports of two men in a Subaru Forester letting dogs chase hares.

Witnesses gave police the car's registration and checks revealed it wasn't insured.

Officers visited the area and noticed the Subaru pass them, which led them to turn their car around to follow on blue lights.

A police chase began and Baker, of Stilebridge Lane, Linton, overtook other vehicles, forced cars off the road and crossed a solid double white line at a junction to try and evade police.

The 27-year-old also drove on the wrong side of the road into a blind corner and into the path of oncoming cars.

Suddenly, the vehicle started to break down, dropping from 80mph to 50mph.

Baker still failed to stop and turned into an entrance to a field in Langwood Hill Drove where he tried to flee but was arrested soon after.

He claimed he wasn’t driving dangerously, and in police interview answered ‘no comment’ to all questions. He later admitted dangerous driving and driving without insurance.

Baker was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday where Judge Jonathan Seeley told him he “selfishly chose to endanger the lives of others”.

He was handed nine months in prison and disqualified from driving for two years, with an extended retest required.

Sergeant Craig Flavell, from the force’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT), said: “Baker’s manner of driving was incredibly dangerous, particularly through several accident black spots, and he had no consideration for other drivers as he attempted to escape us.

“It wasn’t the first time Baker had driven dangerously either; he has 13 previous convictions from 2012 to 2016 which are very similar to the offences committed in this case. As a result, we are pleased to see justice has been done.

“Our team has taken one more dangerous driver off the roads, and we will continue to do so with others who decide to break to law.

“We would like to thank the members of the public who called us to report hare coursing and also remind others they can help by looking out for groups of vehicles parked in rural areas (particularly by a gateway to farmland, on a grass verge, on a farm track or bridleway), estate cars, four-wheel drives or vans with dogs inside or groups of people using binoculars to spot hares.”