A drunken man stole a police car parked outside his Teignmouth house and nearly killed a couple riding a motorbike when he did a handbrake turn at 70mph on a motorway.

Robert Dance – whose brother once stole an ambulance – told police after he was arrested: 'All we need to do now is nick a fire engine.'

At Exeter Crown Court this week, Dance was jailed for a total of 15 months and banned from driving for four years, even though he has never passed a driving test and has been disqualified twice before for drunk driving.

Police had been called to a disturbance involving the 26-year-old and his girlfriend at their home in Higher Woodway Close around 7pm one Sunday evening in August.

As the police officer made inquiries, the key to the marked Ford Focus estate police patrol car fell out of his pocket and Dance picked it up.

He went outside and unlocked the police car and sped off at high speed.

He had driven around six miles towards Exeter when, with blue lights flashing and Dance laughing and screaming over the police radio, he came across a Honda motorbike being ridden by Nick Brown and his partner Carole Wright who was the pillion passenger.

Retired Mr Brown, 48, was riding at 70mph along the A380 towards the M5 at Exeter when Dance raced past him just 2ft away inside his lane.

Dance suddenly made a handbrake turn and the police car screeched through 180 degrees and faced Mr Brown's bike which he managed to halt with just 2ft to spare before what would have been a serious collision, the court heard.

Prosecutor Chris Bennett said Dance was twice the legal drink drive limit when he took the police car.

He said the policeman, who was unaware he had the lost the ignition key, heard the car being revved loudly and saw it race away with 'wheels spinning and tyres screeching'.

The constable also heard Dance on the car's radio as he contacted headquarters to say that his patrol car had been stolen.

Biker Mr Brown said in a statement that he was riding at 70mph when he saw a police car's blue lights in his mirror and thought it may be him that was going to be pulled over by the police – even though he had done nothing wrong.

Mr Bennett said: 'The driver then swerved deliberately in front of him with large plumes of smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The driver had pulled on the handbrake and the car did a 180 degree turn.

'The bike rider slammed both brakes on. The police car ended up in his lane facing him and he brought the bike to a halt two to three feet from the police vehicle.'

Dance got out of the car and tried to run off. But he went down an embankment but could not get through brambles. He returned to the scene and lay on the hard shoulder with his hands behind his back waiting for the police saying: 'Don't hurt me, don't hurt me.'

After his arrest he was driven to an Exeter police station and in the car Dance, said: 'I did not spin out, I handbraked. I had no power in any of the gears. I am a good driver.

'All we need to do now is nick a fire engine. I was doing 60-70mph.'

Dance, who has two previous convictions for drink driving as well as driving while banned, admitted aggravated vehicle taking and dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and drink driving.

Defence lawyer Vanessa Francis said Dance did not seek to blame anyone for his 'incredibly stupid actions', which could have led to a worse tragedy than it did.

She said he has only passed his driving theory test but could not afford driving lessons.

Miss Francis said: 'He panicked. he could no longer control the car and carried out the handbrake turn.'

Recorder Andrew Maitland jailed Dance for a total of 15 months saying: 'You came perilously close to a very serious accident.'

He said Dance had stolen the car because he wanted to 'get one over on the police'.