Paul Hudson, 20, of Vale Road, Seaford, took his mother's vehicle without permission to give a lift to a trio of friends late one evening.
Hudson, who was serving a drink-drive disqualification, then drove at high speed along roads near his home and almost hit at least one other car.

Ignoring his friends' demands to stop, he continued driving too fast before losing control and rolling the Vauxhall Corsa on a bend.

He and his passengers — a man and two young women — were fortunate to escape with relatively minor injuries from the overturned vehicle.

Prosecutor Mark Kateley told Lewes magistrates Paul Hudson was banned from driving for 16 months last December for a drink-drive matter.

"On September 2 he had been out for the evening in Seaford with some friends at a pub and they went back to his house where he lives with his mother and father.

"An argument developed with his mother basically saying they could not remain there so he offered to give them a lift.

"He took the keys to his mother's car but had no permission to take it and then went out with his friends for a drive.

"The friends thought nothing of it at the time and thought they were going to a particular place but Hudson drove them in the opposite direction.

"He went up Alfriston Road at high speed, driving in the middle of the road, and his friends started getting extremely concerned, shouting for him to stop.

"He narrowly avoided a collision with at least one other vehicle and one of the female passengers later said she was frightened for her life.

"The vehicle ended up overturning and on its roof and one of the female passengers sustained injuries to her nose and a fractured wrist.

"The other two thankfully sustained only whiplash but not much more.
"Police attended the scene and in due course the defendant was arrested and interviewed.

"He said he had been at the pub with his friends and then he had gone home with them.

"He said that following an argument he took the car keys to his mother's vehicle, knowing he did not have her permission, and drove along Alfriston Road.

"He estimated that his speed was 50mph and as he came to a bend in the road he said his friend grabbed the wheel and as a result he took his eyes off the road and that caused the car to flip over.

"He said he was going too fast for the bend. He also confirmed he was not insured."

Hudson admitted aggravated vehicle taking and driving while disqualified and without insurance when he appeared in court on Wednesday.

Magistrates were told he had similar previous convictions for taking a vehicle without consent and driving while uninsured.

Hudson, defending himself, said, "This has had a very big impact on me.
"For weeks after the crash I could not stop thinking about what could have happened.

"I have only just come to terms with it. I'm very sorry for the actions that I took. It could have been fatal.

"There was an argument in the house and we all decided to leave. It was my suggestion to go for a drive and everybody said yes to it. The two girls were aware I was on a ban."

Magistrates told Hudson that he had committed 'extremely serious offences' and he was guilty of a 'prolonged and persistent stretch of bad driving' which could have had 'much worse' consequences.

They decided their sentencing powers – a maximum of 12 months in prison – were insufficient and committed him to Lewes Crown Court to be dealt with.

Hudson was released on unconditional bail pending his appearance before a judge at the higher court on a date yet to be fixed.