AN ‘arrogant young driver’ who thought he was invincible has been jailed after he lost control at more than twice the speed limit and smashed into a lamp post.

James Perry ignored pleas by his female passenger to slow down and drove at twice the speed limit repeatedly during a late night trip from Newton Abbot to Torbay.

A dashcam in his car recorded his Peugeot 206 sport going at speeds of 90 mph in built up areas and trying to goad other drivers into racing him. 

He spent an hour and 45 minutes driving around South Devon during which time he went through red lights, the wrong way around a roundabout, and at more than 70 in a 20mph zone.

He went over cycle lanes and zebra crossings at more that twice the speed limit and only slowed down where he knew there were speed cameras. 

He even went over traffic-calming speed humps at 40mph. All the driving took place when his car had only one working headlight. A driver who followed him said he was treating the roads like a racetrack. 

Perry was jailed for six months at Exeter Crown Court where Judge David Evans branded him as an arrogant show-off and said the sentence should deter other young driver who think they are invincible. 

College student Perry, aged 19, who is now at university set off to meet friends in a car park at Heathfield, Newton Abbot in the early hours of the morning with a friend’s girlfriend as his passenger.

He went on to the McDonalds at Decoy, Newton Abbot, where he had a part time job and then drove a high speed back to Torbay before crashing and overturning on Kings Ash Road, Paignton, at 3 am.

The impact was so great that the engine was thrown clear and left in flames in the road. Perry’s father, who was called to the scene, was convinced his son had died in the wreckage.

In fact he and passenger Molly Clark escaped with minor cuts and bruises and were able to climb out through the shattered windows. 

Perry, of Barn Owl Close, Paignton, admitted dangerous driving and was jailed for sis months and banned from driving for two years by Judge Evans.

He told him: "You drove at greatly excessive speeds through built up and rural areas over a very long time. You finally lost control of your car completely while travelling at 77mph in a 30mph zone.

"You and your passenger both exited the vehicle and it is extremely fortunate for all involved that she sustained only shock and minor bruising and you yourself were not injured.

"Clearly the harm that could have arisen from your breathtaking contempt for the rules of the road was death. This truly was an appalling piece of dangerous driving.

"There is a need for a measured degree of deterrence, so young men who arrogantly feel invincible behind the wheel might be less inclined to drive inappropriately." 

Miss Felicity Payne, prosecuting, said Perry set off from the McDonalds where he worked at Decoy after finishing a shift in the early hours and drove to Heathfield, where he met a group of other friends at a garage. 

Miss Clark was a passenger in his car while her boyfriend followed in another one. Perry kept slowing down to allow him to catch up and then sped away in an attempt to start a race.

A dashcam in Perry’s Peugeot recorded the journey and showed him going at speeds of up to 90mph on county road, 80mph in towns, and 70 in 20mph zones with traffic calming measures. 

He was listening to loud music from his phone throughout and ignored Miss Clark’s pleas to slow down. She suffered nightmares and flashbacks for weeks after the crash.

Mr Paul Dentith, defending, said Perry had not taken drink or drugs, there had been no police chase, and the driving was in the early hours of the morning when the roads were quiet.

He said Perry was a college student at the time and started a business studies course at Reading University last September. He still works at the McDonalds at Newton Abbot during vacations and has been promoted to a shift manager.

He hopes to work in human resources when he graduates but his entire career would be jeopardised if he was sent to jail.

He said Perry was an immature young man who felt himself to be invincible but who was so shocked by the crash that he has not driven a car since it happened.