THE DRIVER of a Mitsubishi Mirage who spun out of control and hit a police car and male constable after leading officers on wild chase through Cessnock has pleaded guilty in court.
Mitchell Anthony Bright, 33, faced Newcastle Local Court on Wednesday and pleaded guilty to two charges, one of failure to stop in a police pursuit while driving dangerously and driving furiously in a motor vehicle causing bodily harm.
Three other charges against him were withdrawn.
According to police, Bright had already been disqualified from driving for other offences when he refused to stop for officers on Cessnock Road in the early hours of the morning on November 24, last year.
At about 12:50am, police chased Bright along Duffie Drive before turning into Aberdare Road.
At the intersection of Quarrybylong Street, he lost control and collided with a police car and male constable standing nearby - who later had to seek medical treatment for a minor leg injury.
Police stopped the pursuit after the officer was injured.
Later, police found the vehicle stopped on James Street with the drivers' side seat empty.
Officers called in PolAir and the Dog Unit, who found Mitchell hiding in the backyard of a house on O'Brien Street about 1:30am.
He was arrested and taken to Cessnock police station and charged with six offences, three of which have been dropped.
Bright returns to the district court on June 22 for sentence committal, he did not make an application for bail and it was formally refused.
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