AN 'aggressive' driver without insurance or a licence sped away from police, only giving himself up when an officer threatened to smash his car window.

Toby Smith - now caught driving three times without insurance - drove off at speed in his Fiat Punto when police activated their sirens and blue lights in Malvern, eventually catching up with him as he parked outside his house.

The 34-year-old of Langland Close, Malvern, who is on benefits and owed the court close to £2,000 in fines already, appeared before magistrates in Worcester on Thursday.

He admitted obstructing a police officer in the execution of his duty, failing to stop when required to do so by police, driving otherwise than accordance with a licence and driving without insurance following the incident on July 14 last year. Smith, who is on Universal Credit, already owed the court £1,735 in outstanding fines before the hearing which is being deducted from his benefits.

After being fined again for these matters he now owes the court a further £409, taking the debt to over £2,000, a bill which, yet again, will be footed by the taxpayer.

Kerry Lovegrove, prosecuting, said officers saw the black Punto on Maybank, Malvern and recognised the driver, knowing he was not a full licence holder. Officers activated their blue lights and sirens but Smith continued to accelerate away before he parked up at his home address.

Miss Lovegrove said Smith refused to speak to officers. She said: "Eventually the officer has taken hold of the defendant. Again he refused to engage and has become aggressive, trying to pull away."

Smith went back to his car, turning the engine on, making threats he was going to drive away.

"The officer said if he didn't stop he was going to smash the window of the car" said Miss Lovegrove.

Smith told the officer: "You know I'm not going to stop when you're behind me."

The defendant has 17 previous convictions for 12 offences, the last offence being in 2016.

On July 18, 2017 the defendant was disqualified from driving under the totting up procedure (12 points or more on his licence). On December 19, 2019 Smith received a further six penalty points for driving without insurance.

He had also been driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence on that day.

On October 8 last year he received a further six points for no insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence. He was also banned for 12 months which expires on October 7 this year. Smith was banned again in November last year as a totter.

The defendant, an expired provisional licence holder who represented himself at the hearing, said: "I'm sorry for what I did."

Magistrates, who pointed out that it was the third time he had been convicted of driving without insurance, asked him if he was aware he was a disqualified driver. The defendant replied: "No, I wasn't aware of that."

But he added: "Now I'm aware, yes."

Magistrates fined him £40 for obstructing the officer, £80 for failing to stop and £120 for driving without insurance.

They also disqualified him from driving for 12 months and ordered him to pay court costs of £135 and a victim surcharge of £34.

Smith was warned that if he got behind the wheel again it was 'a very serious offence'. The cash he owes in fines will be consolidated with the other debts and deducted from his benefits.