A gangland machete attack victim who led police on a 140mph car chase has been spared jail.
Former crime group member James Sheridan, 29, had his leg amputated following a horror attack that saw him targeted at home in May 2023.
Sheridan, who also lost two fingers in the assault, had just been released from prison following an 18-month sentence he received after he was found with cannabis and £104,000 of dirty cash. He recently admitted to police that, just months before, he had led officers in a high-speed car chase along a major motorway.
Prosecutors told how he reached speeds up to three times the limit while navigating "heavy traffic".
Glasgow Live reported Sheridan appeared at Airdrie Sheriff Court on Wednesday, May 29, where he admitted to driving dangerously on August 5, 2022. The court heard that police chased him for several miles across the M8 in Lanarkshire during the early evening rush hour.
During the incident - which occurred nine months before he was attacked at home - prosecutor Sarah Healing said he had piloted a black Audi with false plates for several miles.
Ms Healing said he topped 140mph as he drove the car along the hard shoulder before a broken-down vehicle forced him into the main carriageway.
After moving onto the busy thoroughfare, he "continued at speeds in excess of 120 miles an hour despite the heavy traffic", the prosecutor added. She continued: “The police had their blue lights flashing from practically the beginning of the pursuit, but Sheridan continued along the A725 where the speed limit was 40. He was still doing up to 120 miles an hour.”
Speaking for the defence, lawyer Ian Brechany said Sheridan is involved in voluntary work and "assists others at a charity for amputees", adding: "He seeks no sympathy for his situation and knows the choices he made some years ago got him into this position.”
Sheridan, who has a previous conviction for dangerous driving, claimed he fled after being warned he would be in danger if he was jailed. Sheriff Derek Livingston noted Sheridan had sustained life-changing injuries and turned his life around and that he would take this into account when sentencing.
He placed Sheridan under social work supervision for three years and had him confined to his home from 7pm to 7am each day under a one-year tagging order. He also received a five-year driving ban and was ordered to retake his test.