A HEAVILY convicted car thief who drove a stolen vehicle in an 'appalling' manner on roads around Dorchester has been jailed for 30 months.

A judge told George Christopher Hughes that it was an 'absolute mercy' nobody was killed or injured, such was the dangerous nature of Hughes' driving after he stole a car from a property in the county town on the morning of January 22.

Prosecutor Kerry Maylin told Dorchester Crown Court that Hughes, aged 42, and Trevor Lee Gray, 26, took the vehicle from the driveway of a property after the owner had left the keys in the ignition and engine running to defrost the car.

Police caught up with them on the A35 Dorchester bypass but Hughes, who was driving, refused to stop.

Ms Maylin said he attempted to evade police, striking one police vehicle and forcing oncoming traffic to take avoiding action as he turned towards Weymouth at the Stadium Roundabout and then turned down past Winterborne Monkton to Martinstown.

Hughes eventually turned down a lane to Foxholes Farm near Hardy's Monument and struck a metal gate before getting out of the car and attempting to flee while Gray remained with the vehicle and was arrested by police.

Hughes was also detained by police in the area a short while later.

Gray pleaded guilty to an offence of aggravated vehicle taking and also admitted an offence of taking a vehicle without consent relating to an incident in Tiverton, Devon, the previous day.

Hughes admitted charges of aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving and driving whilst disqualified.

The court was told Hughes, of Fore Street, Tiverton, had 38 previous convictions for 148 offences including two of dangerous driving for which he was disqualified for 18 months.

Richard Griffiths, mitigating for Hughes, said his client had been suffering from severe health problems recently and had shown a lack of judgement on the day of the offences.

He said: "He simply doesn't have that bit that enables him to think clearly in situations like this."

Mr Griffiths added: "It's a matter of relief that nobody was injured."

Gray, of Newport Street, Tiverton, had 14 convictions for 41 offences.

However, his representative Tim Shorter told the court that before the latest offences he had not been before the courts since 2011 and had been trying to turn his life around.

Recorder John Williams sentenced Gray to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months with a supervision requirement and a requirement to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work in the community.

Hughes was sentenced to a total of 30 months in prison.

Recorder Williams told him: "This incident shows really absolutely appalling driving and that noone was injured or died is an absolute mercy."