A BANNED driver who was high on cannabis had to be rammed into a crash barrier by police after a 115mph pursuit through Bolton, a court heard.

Father-of-three Mohammed Azad told police “I’ve had a few spliffs — I was a bit stoned” after they forced him off the road and tasered him.

He was yesterday jailed for 22 months at Bolton Crown Court.

“It is an amazing fact that he is here in one piece and no one was killed,” Azad’s defence counsel, Peter Turner, said.

Mark Monaghan, prosecuting, told the court that Azad was driving his wife’s Merecdes car, despite being banned from driving and medically unfit because of his epilepsy.

Police were alerted when they pulled up alongside the car in Trafford Street, Farnworth, at 3.15pm on August 8.

Three male passengers got out and police could smell cannabis, but Azad sped off in the Mercedes C class.

The police, in a Subaru Impreza, pursued him as he hurtled along Market Street with Azad sometimes on the wrong side of the road and narrowly avoiding smashing into other vehicles.

On St Peter’s Way, heading towards Bolton, Azad hit speeds of 115mph before turning on to Topp Way.

He then sped through red lights before heading along Chorley New Road at 85mph, where he clipped a central reservation as a pensioner was waiting to cross the road. As Azad headed back along St Peter’s Way and on to the slip road near Smith’s Road at Moses Gate, he attempted to do a U-turn.

Police were so concerned they decided to ram his car into the crash barrier to stop him, causing £1,500 damage to the police car.

Azad, aged 32, of Lonsdale Road, Heaton, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, disqualified driving, driving without insurance and possessing cannabis.

He also admitted assaulting Jahangir Saleem on March 26, hitting him twice with a baseball bat in Starcliffe Street, Moses Gate, on March 26, and two counts of possessing cannabis with intent to supply on November 12 and December 1 last year.

Mr Turner told the court that Azad, who has a lengthy record for driving offences, has repeated epileptic attacks and his 31-year-old wife acts as his carer.

Judge Maureen Roddy said: “He is hell bent on doing what he wants to do and any attempt to assist him has been met with failure. He is lucky he is not standing there facing manslaughter or murder.”