A judge has branded a 25-year-old banned driver with a string of previous convictions as being a menace on the roads of Bradford as he jailed him for 14 months.

Jamie Spencer, of Knowle Street, Tong Street, Bradford, pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated vehicle taking, driving without insurance or licence and dangerous driving.

He had stolen a Vauxhall Corsa from an address in Tong Street jamming a screwdriver into the ignition switch to start the car, Bradford Crown Court was told yesterday.

He was spotted by police driving erratically in Tong Street at 11.40pm on March 29 and a pursuit started when he ignored attempts to pull him over.

Driving at 40mph in a built-up area, he swerved and drove on the wrong side of the road, narrowly missing an elderly couple, prosecutor John Boumphrey told the court.

He then drove on the pavement and kerb and collided with a stationary Renault Laguna. His vehicle spun and collided with a drystone wall and came to a stop.

Spencer, who was disqualified from driving at the time of the incident, ran from the car but was chased by a police officer, who caught and arrested him.

Spencer, due to become a father for the first time in July, was breathalysed and had 101 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35.

He later admitted to police he had drunk most of a crate of cider before stealing and driving off in the Vauxhall Corsa.

Judge John Potter, who also disqualified Spencer from driving for a further three years, told him: “You are a menace on the streets of this city. That’s what your record suggests.

“You drove disgracefully and at excessive speed and in an erratic manner.

“You narrowly avoided hitting an elderly couple and could have caused them significant injury.

“As for the fact you will miss the birth of your first child, you only have yourself to blame.

“What you have is an unenviable record of previous convictions. You have 15 previous convictions, including 42 separate offences. A number of these relate to the unlawful use of motor vehicles and trying to steal them.”