Magistrates were horrified when told that a drug-driver overtook an unmarked police car at more than 100mph.

Nico Royan, 37, was stopped by an officer on 19 April after he overtook the police car on the A487 at Llanrhystud.

A drug test showed he had cannabis in his system.

Royan pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, drug-driving, possession of cannabis, speeding and having a defective tyre, with magistrates ruling that the case was so serious that Royan, of The Caravan, Felinfeinog, Dihewyd, should be sentenced in crown court.

Prosecutor Rhian Jones said a police officer was on patrol in an unmarked car driving on the A487 at around 11.45pm when Royan overtook him in a 40mph zone at 100mph.

The officer followed Royan and saw him drive at speeds up to 120mph before stopping him in Llanon.

A check of the vehicle found that the rear offside tyre did not have the required tread and cannabis was found in a container in the car.

While a breath test showed that Royan was not over the drink-drive limit, a drug test was positive for cannabis with a blood test showing Royan had 2.1 microgrammes of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol in a litre of blood. The specified limit is two microgrammes.

In an interview, Royan admitted he had been driving at over 100mph and accepted that his driving was not safe.

Ms Jones said the case should be sent to crown court for sentencing as it involved “prolonged bad driving” and high speed.

Janem Jones, defending, said Royan regretted the incident, but the road had been clear at that time of night.

She said Royan used cannabis to help deal with a back problem.

While she said Royan admitted being over the specified limit for cannabis and that his tyre was defective, both were close to the legal limit.

However, presiding magistrate Caroline Whitehead said: “We are horrified at the speed you were doing and the fact you had drugs in your system that would have affected your reaction time.

“The stopping distance at 100mph would have given you no chance of stopping if a child had stepped out into the road.”

Royan was made subject to an interim driving ban and released on unconditional bail until a sentencing hearing at Swansea Crown Court on 19 October.