Driver with led police on chases in Spennymoor and Darlington

Sean Maughan appeared at Durham Crown Court before Judge Tom Mitchell on Thursday, October 22.

Maughan, 21, first appeared before Judge Mitchell on January 8 after admitting two counts of dangerous driving.

The offenses followed by police in the Spennymoor and Darlington areas just weeks apart in December 2023, with the second on his 19th birthday.

Sean Maughan was jailed for breaching a suspended sentence order by driving while disqualified and failing to attend unpaid work sessions

He was jailed for 14 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to do 240 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation days.

At that hearing, Judge Mitchell told him: “Today you are a lucky boy because this is your only chance.

“I will not send you to prison, but if you make a mug of me, of God, the Almighty, I will if you commit another offense.

“If you come back before me, I promise you, it will be a bad day for you.”

Maughan was also banned from driving for two years and ordered to pass an extended re-test before driving again.

Appearing back before Judge Mitchell at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday (October 22), Maughan admitted twice breaching his suspended sentence order following recent convictions for driving while disqualified and uninsured, plus possession of nitrous oxide.

Maughan, formerly of Spennymoor and most recently said to have been living with his mother in Scotland, was caught driving a van while disqualified in Durham Road, Esh Winning, and found with nitrous oxide on May 22.

Prosecutor Ellen Wright said police became aware of Maughan after he was driving the van erratically.

The court heard that Maughan’s compliance with the January order’s unpaid work and probation requirements had been “poor”, and he had only recently re-committed.

Maughan’s lawyer, Shada Mellor, said he had been threatened by a man who knew where he did his unpaid work, which is why he did not attend sessions.

She urged Judge Mitchell not to activate the sentence, saying Maughan was now willing to work with the Probation Service in Scotland to complete the order.

But Judge Mitchell told Maughan: “I gave you a chance, and this is how you reward it.

“I’m not usually known as someone who gives suspended sentences to people with dangerous driving convictions.

“You have a terrible record when it comes to driving.

“Whatever else is going on in your life, there can be no reasonable explanation for how you find yourself behind the wheel of a vehicle this May.

“You don’t seem to be able to stop yourself from doing it.

“I bent over backwards to try and accommodate you one last time.

“You have a habit of driving while disqualified, but not only that, it was after I told you what would happen if you did.

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“It was reckless to the extreme.”

The judge jailed Maughan for 16 months, including 12 months of the previous suspended sentence, and banned him from driving for 30 months.

Maughan must pass an extended re-test before he can legally drive after the ban expires.