A DRIVER who seriously injured a couple after ploughing into them on the pavement during a 90mph chase has been back before the courts after he was caught drug driving.

In 2017 Liam Fisher was jailed for three years and four months after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving to John and Geraldine O’Sullivan.

Fisher, who has never had a valid driving licence, had been using cannabis and racing Vauxhall Vectra in a Renault Clio when he hit them on Buxton Road, Stockport.

Mrs O’Sullivan suffered a life-changing brain injury and two broken thighs while Mr O’Sullivan lost and eyelid and broke an arm and leg.

As well as the jail sentence, Fisher, now aged 25, of Campbell Court, Farnworth, was banned from driving until October 2022.

But he has now been back before Bolton magistrates after he bought an Audi A3 car and was caught by police drug driving on April 23.

Ann Deakin, prosecuting, told the court how officers stopped the vehicle on Long Lane, Bolton just before midnight to check the driver’s documents.

Fisher admitted that he was banned from driving.

“The defendant said that he had owned the vehicle for one week,” said Miss Deakin.

Officers could also smell cannabis and Fisher tested positive for the drug, admitting that he used it on a daily basis.

Fisher, who has three previous convictions for 22 offences, pleaded guilty to drug driving, driving whilst banned and having no insurance.

Peter Leather, defending, stressed that Fisher had admitted his guilt immediately.

“He has clearly been a very naive young man in involving himself with these further offences,” said Mr Leather.

“He has rather immature thinking that led to him buying a vehicle and then using the vehicle when he wasn’t legally entitled to do so.”

Fisher told magistrates: “To be honest, I don’t have any excuses. I was stupid. I shouldn’t have been driving and I apologise.”

He added that he would welcome help to deal with his cannabis use.

Fisher was sentenced to an 18-month community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of rehabilitation activities.

He must also pay £180 in costs and charges and was banned from applying for a licence for a further two years, after which he will have to take an extended test.

Chairman of the bench David Batten told him: “I am not going to labour the point over the danger of driving a vehicle while you have drugs in your body.

“You might not think it is going to affect your ability to drive, but it will. It will deaden your response times and it is through that happening that serious accidents happen and people are killed.

“You are lucky that that wasn’t the case on this occasion.”