A London man was chased down two sides of the M40 faces a prison sentence.

Jimmy Paul-Nunn, 37, was behind the wheel of a hired Ford Transit that had not been returned when he fled from police officers trying to pull him over on March 1.

Defending, Julian Lynch said his client suffered from a number of mental health conditions. “When the police began to pursue him, he essentially panicked. That background of mental health seems to be what underlay that panic,” the barrister said.

Addressing why Paul-Nunn failed to attend his plea hearing in May, Mr Lynch said the letter with the court date was sent to his mother’s address.

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His mum, who suffered from ill-health, ‘got confused’ about the different court appearances her son faced.

The defence brief said: “He didn’t know the hearing was in May; partly his own fault [but] that was more of a matter of negligence than deliberate failure to surrender.”

Appearing before Oxford Crown Court via video link from Pentonville Prison, Paul-Nunn, of Cloncurry Street, London, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving without insurance. He denied an allegation of aggravated vehicle taking.

He had previous convictions, including for robbery in 2012, but had stayed out of trouble for a number of years. He was someone who had ‘turned his life around’, Mr Lynch said.

Paul-Nunn was remanded in custody until the sentencing on October 16. A pre-sentence report was ordered from the probation service.