A TEENAGE drug dealer who had his phone glued to his ear during two “horrendous” high speed police pursuits across central Bradford has been locked up for three years and seven months.

Basit Khan was told by the judge: “You decided to go bad and not to care any more,” when he was sentenced at Bradford Crown Court for two offences of dangerous driving, possession of crack cocaine and heroin with intent to supply and three counts of driving while disqualified while on bail.

Prosecutor Louise Pryke said Khan’s offending began on April 5 last year when he sped away from the police on Great Horton Road in a silver Vauxhall Astra. He ignored a Give Way sign, drove on the wrong side of Park Lane and forced a woman pedestrian to jump back to the safety of the pavement.

Khan, of Pemberton Drive, Little Horton, Bradford, went more than double the speed limit while being chased down streets including Lindley Road, Halcyon Way and Ringwood Road at 3pm. He drove past a junior school at double the 20mph speed limit while talking on a phone held to his ear. Khan abandoned the car and was arrested after a chase on foot. He had a package of crack cocaine and nine packages of heroin on him, along with £845 in cash. Khan was on bail when he sped through a police checkpoint on Huddersfield Road, Low Moor, at 4.30pm on August 24, at 58mph. Officers saw him undertake the vehicle in front of him in the 30mph zone before jumping a red light on Little Horton Lane while talking on his phone. Khan sped towards Bradford city centre, almost losing control of the car on bends. He braked harshly to avoid hitting a woman pushing a pram before stopping the car.

Khan was given a community order last week by Bradford and Keighley magistrates for three offences of driving while disqualified, instead of being committed to the crown court for sentence. His barrister, Jeremy Hill-Baker, said Khan, now 20, was 19 at the time of the drugs and dangerous driving offences. He was of previous good character.

“It is sad and troubling that he now falls to be sentenced for, in effect, everything he has ever done in one go,” Mr Hill-Baker said. Khan had worked as a taxi controller and at a takeaway. Judge Jonathan Rose said Khan’s persistent offending was “something of a tragedy.”

He was a young man from a good family who had held down jobs. But both dangerous driving offences were “horrendous.”

“It is a miracle that nobody was seriously injured or killed,” Judge Rose said.

Khan was sent to a young offender institute for 32 months for the drugs offences and the first offence of dangerous driving. He was locked up for ten months consecutively for the second dangerous driving and for an extra month for the driving while disqualified offences.

The judge revoked the community order and banned Khan from driving for 45 months.