A MAN who admitted crashing into a police car and driving off without stopping has been admonished.

Nathaniel Miles-Webster pleaded guilty to failing to stop when requested to do so by police officers, failing to stop after colliding with a police vehicle and failing to report the collision during an incident in Musselburgh earlier this year.

Miles-Webster, who appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court from custody, also admitted to driving a vehicle with no insurance or full driving licence on the town’s Linkfield Road.

Miles-Webster had also been accused of other charges, including supplying cocaine, abducting two men and holding them against their will and holding a knife to one of the men’s throats at an address on Newbigging.

But the 20-year-old’s pleas of not guilty to those charges were accepted by the Crown during last Monday’s trial hearing.

Fiscal depute Lewis Crosbie told the court that police were called by a concerned member of the public who had spotted “suspicious activity” involving the driver of the vehicle.

Officers in a marked car arrived at the scene at about 1.30pm on March 5 this year and, after activating their lights and siren, the car “sped off”.

Miles-Webster was seen driving on the opposite carriageway and overtaking cars on roads including and surrounding Linkfield Road.

An unmarked police vehicle was positioned across the road in a bid to halt the driver’s progress but, after colliding with the police car, Miles-Webster continued on his journey.

He was then lost to sight but eventually picked up at about 3pm that day.

The court also heard that Miles-Webster had never held a full driving licence and that he had recently spent his 20th birthday in custody.

Solicitor Sandra Walker said that her client had travelled to Edinburgh by public transport but had bought a second-hand car to use while he was in Scotland.

Ms Walker added that he had “panicked as he was aware he had no licence” when he was being followed by the police.

Sheriff Frank Crowe decided to admonish him on all four charges.

But the sheriff did ban Miles-Webster from the road for 12 months.

He was also ordered to sit the extended test when he eventually does take the driving test.

Miles-Webster admitted driving dangerously, failing to report a collision with a police vehicle, failing to stop following the collision and driving with no licence or insurance at roads including Linkfield Road, Millhill and the A199, all Musselburgh, and Suthren Yett, Prestonpans, on March 8 this year.