A SOUTHAMPTON man led police on two separate chases in less than a week, a court heard.

Patryk Wilczynski accelerated so hard that black smoke came from his bright red Alfa Romeo.

Prosecution barrister, Natalia Constantine told how the 22-year-old drove on the opposite side of the road, jumped three sets of red lights and went the wrong way around a roundabout.

During one incident, his passenger even begged “please don’t kill us”.

Ms Constantine told how after Wilczynski was spotted at traffic lights on Lodge Road, he then led police on a chase through the St Denys, Portswood and Shirley areas of the city.

He was finally caught after dumping his car in an underground car park and being chased on foot.

Wilczynski, of Cracknore Road, Southampton, later admitted to police he had taken amphetamines.

Ms Constantine said that six days before, a police constable was driving on Thomas Lewis Way when he noticed a red Alfa Romeo parked up with its headlights down at 3am.

She added: “He ran checks on the vehicle and saw that the vehicle was actually uninsured and had been for about a year.”

She said how the PC pulled up behind it and “signalled for the vehicle to stop by way of activating his blue lights and flashing the car with his headlights three times”.

Disqualified from driving at the time, Wilczynski sped off and was able to escape.

However, he was later charged with failing to stop when required by a constable, driving while unfit through drugs, while disqualified and uninsured, and two counts of driving a motor vehicle dangerously.

He pleaded guilty to the offences which happened on April 27 and May 3 last year.

His previous convictions include driving with excess alcohol, attempting to drive a vehicle with drugs in his system, and driving without insurance or a licence.

Defending, Keeley Harvey said that Wilczynski cares for his mother who is disabled and has “quite severe mobility problems”. Furthermore, he supports his partner and stepson financially.

Judge Peter Henry jailed him for ten months and disqualified him from driving for three years.