A 22-YEAR-OLD man on prison licence is back behind bars after crashing a stolen car in a police chase.

Syed Amar Shah sped off in a VW Polo after it was taken from its owner a second time following a burglary at his home in the Bradford area.

Bradford Crown Court heard that the householder recovered his vehicle himself only to lose it again when the thief struck again using the stolen keys.

Police on patrol in Church Street, Manningham, Bradford, spotted the car at 3.30pm on September 25.

Shah, of Jer Grove, Horton Bank in the city, went through a red light on a pedestrian crossing and was pursued along Skinner Lane on to Oak Lane, where he hit another vehicle.

Prosecutor Andrew Stranex said Shah and others in the car fled.

Mr Stranex said details of damage to the stolen car and the vehicle Shah struck were not given on his court papers.

A member of the public pointed out a house that Shah had gone into and he was arrested trying to hide inside furniture.

He told the police he bought the car for £3,000 from the Gumtree website.

Shah pleaded guilty on a video link to dishonestly handling the stolen VW Polo and dangerous driving.

He was being held in custody at HMP Doncaster after being recalled on licence for a six year sentence for causing grievous bodily harm with intent imposed at Bradford Crown Court in September 2012.

He and two other young males fractured a vulnerable man's skull in a mob attack near Frizinghall Community Centre in Bradford in April 2011.

He later received a six month custodial term for a separate offence of robbery.

Shah's barrister, Nick Askins, said he did not seek an adjournment for a report from the probation service.

It was a short police pursuit and although his client had a criminal record for serious offences, there were no previous convictions for bad driving.

He was not eligible for release until well into next year.

Judge David Hatton QC jailed Shah for nine months, accepting that it would not lengthen the time he spent behind bars after his licence recall for the earlier offences.

He was also banned from driving for 12 months, plus four and a half months to take account of the time he is expected to be in prison and so could not get behind a wheel.

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