A TEENAGER claimed he was forced by two men brandishing a machete to drive dangerously and chase a car from Edinburgh to East Lothian.

Brandon Jones was asked to help out a friend of his older brother and drive to Edinburgh to give him a lift in exchange for £20, said his lawyer.

But when Jones, 19, arrived in the Magdalene area of the Capital, the friend did not get into the car but two men he did not know got in instead.

He was then told to drive the strangers to an address in the city but was forced to obey their commands and chase after another vehicle as they brandished a machete out of the window, a court heard.

Jones followed the vehicle closely while flashing his lights before driving dangerously on the A1 as they headed for Wallyford.

Prosecutor Oliver Davidson-Richards told Edinburgh Sheriff Court that Jones’ vehicle was spotted driving on Ferry Road, Edinburgh, at about 10pm on January 20 last year.

Flashing lights

Witnesses in a Ford Fiesta “observed” Jones’ car behind them flashing its lights and, believing it to be the police, they pulled over.

On stopping, the occupants realised that the vehicle behind them was not the police and they drove off towards the Lochend area of the city.

Jones then followed the vehicle onto the A1 eastbound and was said to be driving behind and “continually changing lanes and braking close to them”.

The two passengers in Jones’ car were said to have waved a machete out of the car window at the terrified complainers in the Fiesta.

The court heard there was “heavy snowfall at the time” and both cars entered Wallyford, where the witnesses called the police to report the incident.

During the chase, which ended up on Musselburgh High Street, Jones drove through a red light before “driving off at speed” towards Prestonpans.

Discovered in Glasgow

The car was then abandoned in Prestonpans and all three men left the area, though the vehicle was subsequently discovered in Glasgow.

The court was told that the vehicle belonged to Jones’s mother and the teenager was subsequently arrested and charged about one week later.

Solicitor Mark Harrower said that his client, formerly of Fishers Wynd, Musselburgh, was insured to drive the vehicle and had been asked to do a favour for his brother’s friend.

When Jones arrived to pick the friend up, two men got in the car and he was told to give them a lift to Seafield, the lawyer said.

Jones had claimed that the two men then forced him to follow the Ford Fiesta and he was left “terrified” when they produced the machete.

Mr Harrower said that Jones “could not control the two men in the back of the car” and was forced to drive dangerously and follow the vehicle in front.

'Reluctant' to name men

The court heard that Jones was “reluctant” to name the men involved to police and they remained at large.

The lawyer added that Jones, currently of Guardhouse Parade, Edinburgh, was an apprentice mechanic and required his licence for his employment. He said that his partner was expecting the couple’s first child in September.

Mr Harrower said there were special reasons his client should not be banned from the road, as he had been forced to do what the two men were telling him.

Sheriff John Mundy described the driving incident as “extraordinary” and decided there were “exceptional circumstances” in this case. Jones was fined £450 and had five penalty points placed on his driving licence.

Jones pleaded guilty to an amended charge of driving dangerously by continually flashing his headlights for no good reason, continually changing lanes, accelerating and braking for no good reason while in close proximity to a car in front, and driving through red traffic signals while failing to pay attention to the poor road conditions on various roads in Edinburgh and East Lothian on January 20 last year.