Police took the courageous decision to ram a drug-crazed driver off the road after a 100mph chase in a bid to stop lives being put at risk.

Often police usually try to box in a fleeing car with several police cars but the officers were so concerned about the manner of 29-year-old Robert Williams driving one officer took the decision to smash into his car to instantly stop the pursuit.

Even Williams’ own barrister described it “as a truly awful piece of driving.”

Now the footage has been released by the Crown Prosecution Service after Williams was jailed tor his crazy driving.

He can be seen driving through a red light, driving on the wrong side of the road, overtaking vehicles and forcing a pedestrian to get out of the way before driving the wrong way around a roundabout.

Robert Williams, of Brignall Garth, Leeds, jailed for 100mph car chase
Robert Williams, of Brignall Garth, Leeds, jailed for 100mph car chase

He also drove at 90mph in a 40mph zone during the three-and- a-half-mile pursuit, which lasted for just four minutes on October 17.

The chase started not far from Elland Road in Leeds when the incident began on the M621 slip road, off Cemetery Road, Holbeck.

Robert Galley, prosecuting, said the defendant was forced off the road on the roundabout before he could drive onto the A64 York Road on the wrong carriageway.

Mr Galley said Williams sped off in his VW Golf after officers indicated for him to pull over.

He went back onto the M621 and drove to the East End Park area of the city before leaving the motorway and driving through a red light.

A police car deliberately collided with Williams’ vehicle as he tried to drive onto the A64 exit road.

The M621 near Leeds

Williams’ car spun around before it came to a stop and he was arrested. He was found in possession of cannabis.

Tests later showed he had traces of the drug in his system above the legal limit.

He had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failure to stop, driving with drugs over the prescribed limit, and possession of cannabis.

Alan Armbrister, mitigating, said: “This was a truly awful piece of driving.”

Williams, of Brignall Garth in the Burmantofts area of Leeds, has previous convictions including for possession with intent to supply cannabis, possession of cocaine and driving while disqualified.

He was on bail at the time of the offence, awaiting sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine and money laundering.

In December last year, he was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to those offences.

Judge Simon Phillips QC sentenced him to a further 12 months’ imprisonment and disqualified him from driving for two years after his release from prison when he will be required to take an extended driving test before he may drive again.