A MOTORIST who was high on drugs left a young relative seriously injured after crashing his car onto railway tracks.

Craig Thomson drove his Honda Civic at excessive speeds through the streets of Tranent, Wallyford and Musselburgh while being pursued by police officers.

Thomson, 29, switched off his headlights during the high-speed pursuit before eventually losing control of his vehicle and crashing down an embankment onto the live rail tracks.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that Thomson left his teenage passenger with injuries including fractures to her arm and leg following the incident in August 2019.

Thomson was told that his behaviour was “idiocy at the highest level” by a sheriff when he appeared for sentencing at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Friday.

Sheriff Douglas Keir also branded the driver, from Edinburgh, “entirely irresponsible” and said the incident could have led to “far, far worse” consequences.

The sheriff spared Thomson a prison sentence and instead placed him on a community payback order consisting of a 12-month restricted liberty order.

Thomson will be electronically tagged and will have to stay within his home between 8pm and 6am.

He was also banned from driving for 18 months.

Thomson had pleaded guilty at a previous court hearing to causing serious injury to his relative by driving dangerously while under the influence of drugs on various roads in East Lothian and Edinburgh.

Prosecutor Alan Wickham told the court that police spotted Thomson’s car in Tranent at about midnight on August 29, 2019.

The officers approached the vehicle but were forced to give chase after Thomson sped off along the A199 towards Wallyford.

The court heard that Thomson drove at speeds of up to 80mph on 60mph roads and repeatedly drove onto the opposing carriageway and took corners at speed as he headed towards Salters Road.

The chase continued through Inveresk and he continued driving at speeds of up to 70mph and failing to stop while on Pinkie Road and North High Street in Musselburgh.

Thomson was also said to have gone through a red light and onto the opposing carriageway again as he made his way towards Portobello.

Thomson lost control of his car near to Brunstane Road South and when officers finally caught up, they found the car had been driven through a large hedge and officers could hear a female shouting for help.

The court heard that Thomson’s car “had gone through the hedge, down an embankment and finished up between two railway tracks”.

Sheriff Keir told Thomson that his decision to get behind the wheel after taking drugs and his subsequent driving met the “custody threshold” but took into account him being a first offender and “the remorse and shame” he had shown.