A VIOLENT heroin addict who stole a Jamaican drug dealer's car after stabbing him to death has been locked up for five years.

Lee Sullivan, 32, of Whitcroft, Basildon, arranged to meet Clifton Robinson in Laindon to buy drugs, but ended up killing him in a knife fight and stealing his BMW.

Later the same day, Sullivan was spotted by police and was chased at high speeds around Laindon.

He jumped several red lights in a desperate bid to avoid arrest before eventually crashing and running off.

He was caught and arrested.

Yesterday at Basildon Crown Court, Judge Philip Clegg told Sullivan: "When the police tried to stop you, there was a hair-raising chase in which you achieved very high speeds in and around suburban streets.

"One of the officers who pursued you described your driving as one of the most dangerous pieces of driving he had ever seen."

On September 14 last year, Sullivan bought drugs from Mr Robinson. Later that day, he was still craving heroin and cocaine and arranged to meet him again.

This time, Sullivan armed himself with a kitchen knife because he planned to cheat Mr Robinson by paying him with paper, instead of cash.

However, Mr Robinson, 41, a known drug dealer from Hackney, East London, had also armed himself and when they met a fight soon broke out and Robinson was stabbed.

His body was later discovered in a house in Little Oxcroft, Laindon.

Sullivan was initially charged with murder, but the charge was dropped because there was overwhelming evidence he had acted in self-defence.

Sullivan, who pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon, aggravated vehicle taking and affray, was also banned from driving for five-and-a-half years.

Four days before the fatal stabbing, Sullivan threatened his mother's lover, Neville Green, with a knife when he refused to drive him to Pitsea to buy drugs.

Sullivan - who has previous convictions for dangerous driving, assault, criminal damage and theft - had only just been released early from a five-year prison sentence for three robberies.