A young motorist whose ’reckless driving’ on the Mountain Road was witnessed by police has been given a 12-month driving ban.

Jamie Cringle, aged 20, of Julian Road, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance.

He was ordered by magistrates to do 100 hours of unpaid work and banned from driving for 12 months with an order to retake his test at the end of the ban.

Prosecutor Richard Butters told the court how, on February 23 at 10pm, police were driving on the A18 Mountain Road in an unmarked vehicle from Ramsey to Douglas.

On the approach to Hailwood Rise they were overtaken by Cringle who was driving a Volkswagen Golf.

As police followed him he was said to have been driving at around 100mph and was seen encroaching into the opposite carriageway as he went around bends.

Opposite carriageway

When Cringle reached the 33rd milestone he was again seen straying into the opposite carriageway as he approached the bend.

He then braked and went back onto his own side of the road as just a second later another vehicle came around the left hand band.

Police said that a head-on collision was narrowly avoided, by luck rather than judgement.

He was stopped and later attended police headquarters voluntarily but refused to be interviewed.

Darren Taubitz, representing Cringle, entered a basis of plea on behalf of his client in which Cringle said he had overtaken the police on a stretch of straight road.

He admitted driving quickly and that he had used the whole of the road when negotiating corners but said that he had full control of the car.

He accepted that when he had braked going into the bend that his driving had fallen below that of a careful and competent driver.

Mr Taubitz said that a probation report had assessed Cringle as being ’genuinely remorseful’.

’He acknowledges the possible consequences of his reckless driving,’ said the advocate.

’He recognises that he’s going to be disqualified and have to retake his test.’

Regarding the no insurance matter Mr Taubitz said that Cringle’s father had arranged insurance for the car concerned and other work vehicles regularly with a local insurance company.

The advocate said that the insurance company had changed their regulations regarding the age of drivers which had resulted in Cringle not being covered.

’It wasn’t an intentional act,’ said Mr Taubitz. ’As a result his father has moved the entire insurance business to another company.’