Drug dealer caught with cocaine stash and baseball bat after Hartlepool police chase

James Thompson sped off from pursuing officers and drove dangerously when they attempted to pull him over in Seaton Carew.

After a chase along numerous streets, he reversed into the police’s vehicle after getting blocked in in Queen Street.

Thompson, 34, was caught a stash of crack cocaine worth £620, a large wad of cash and a baseball bat, Teesside Crown Court heard.

He has now been jailed for almost five years.

Christopher Bevan, prosecuting, told how Thompson, who has never had a legitimate job, did a u-turn on Station Lane when police tried to pull him over at 9.15pm on February 1.

He drove dangerously on roads including Lawson Road, The Cliff, Warrior Drive and Queen Street causing other drivers to take evasive action.

But he became blocked in between the police and a member of the public after driving the wrong way down Queen Street.

Police jumped out of their vehicle and smashed the driver’s side window of Thompson’s van before searching the vehicle.

Mr Bevan said: “They searched his vehicle and found a black bag under the passenger seat along with a baseball bat.

“Inside the black bag they found 31 grip seal bags containing what was believed to be crack cocaine.”

The court heard they each represented £20 street deals.

A number of mobile phones, some of which were used for dealing, were also seized together with £665 in cash.

Thompson was previously jailed for 18 months in 2020 when significant amounts of cocaine and cannabis were found inside a safe in a car he was travelling in.

He pleaded guilty to possessing class A drugs with intent to supply following his latest arrest.

He also admitted driving without a licence or insurance.

Marc Askins, defending, said in mitigation that Thompson began using cocaine to cope following the death of his nanna several years ago and built up a debt he was trying to pay off.

"He then started dealing because he was out of work and ultimately found that to be the only option available to him,” said Mr Askins.

Thompson, of Hornby Close, Seaton Carew, was jailed for four years and nine months and disqualified from driving for 34 months.