Watch drink-driving dad tear through inner-city Cardiff at 85mph

A drink-driving dad led police on a high-speed chase through inner-city Cardiff. The pursuit began in the early hours of August 25 after a police officer on Leckwith Road spotted Karl Joseph Bullen behind the wheel of an Audi A4 which had been reported stolen in Penylan hours earlier.

Police dashcam footage shows Bullen accelerating down Ninian Park Road at 2.09am while ignoring the police car's emergency lights. The 35-year-old reached speeds of around 85mph — more than four times the limit — during a two-minute chase through parts of Riverside, Grangetown and Canton. He at points drove on the wrong side of the road and twice ran red lights.

Prosecutor Charles Archer said: "He narrowly avoided a collision with two members of the public on Clare Road. The pursuit ended when he crashed into a building and lamppost on Delta Street." Bullen ran away but was found by police in someone's garden. His speech was slurred and he smelled of alcohol. A breath test showed he had 66mcg of alcohol per 100ml of breath. The legal driving limit is 35mcg.

Bullen, of Illtyd Road in Ely, admitted driving dangerously, with excess alcohol, and without a licence or insurance. At the time he was out of prison on licence after being sentenced to 10 weeks in jail for thefts. His 63 previous offences included taking a vehicle without consent, robbery, sexual offences and possession of weapons. Will Bebb, mitigating, said his client felt "genuine remorse" over the police chase.

"Matters snowballed on the evening in question, as he panicked," said Mr Bebb. "He regrets it deeply. Fortunately there were no injuries or significant damage, perhaps more through luck than judgement. There are other driving matters on his record but this is his first dangerous driving conviction." The barrister added that his client was neglected as a child and began offending from a "very young" age. He has three children aged four to 14, the youngest of whom is in ill health. Bullen's latest offences mean he will be behind bars when he should be supporting his sick child but he knows this is "the product of his own actions", Mr Bebb told the court.

The judge, Recorder Jonathan Rees KC, said Bullen's record was "appalling". He noted Bullen had refused to meet with the probation service for a pre-sentence report which could have helped him in mitigation. The judge imposed a 14-month jail term and a driving ban of three years and seven months as well as a victim services surcharge of £187. For the latest court reports, sign up here to our crime newsletter.

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