A PARAMEDIC pursued a drunken motorist who was driving his car recklessly through Barking in a high speed chase.

He had been called to reports of a man slumped at the wheel of his car by the side of the road at 3am on August 30. On arrival he found Elijah Muraya inside a Honda and thought the 49-year-old might be diabetic and suffering from low blood sugar.

The paramedic returned to the ambulance to fetch his equipment but as he did so Muraya drove off.

He decided to follow in the ambulance and saw Muraya hit numerous curbs as he headed towards the A46. At one point he stopped and the paramedic tried to take the keys away from him. But Muraya put his car in to reverse, hitting the front of the ambulance in the process.

He then drove on to the A46 and the paramedic continued to follow until police took over shortly after.

Muraya drove through two traffic lights and swerved in the road causing other cars to break suddenly.

When he finally stopped, police smashed his side window in order to grab the keys. They then pulled him out of the vehicle.

A blood sample was taken at the police station which gave a reading of 181 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit is 80.

Muraya, of Drew Road, Newham, pleaded guilty at Barking Court last week to drink driving and dangerous driving.

Magistrates committed the case to Snaresbrook Crown Court and imposed an interim driving ban.