THE Recorder of Bradford has asked for a dossier to be compiled to show appeals court judges in London evidence of Bradford’s problem with dangerous drivers.

Judge Roger Thomas QC was responding to a ruling by top judges in the capital who concluded that he had failed to show proper evidence of a problem with danger drivers in Bradford before sentencing a motorist to six months’ prison.

Ali Khalid’s sentence was reduced to four months by appeals court judges who said Judge Thomas had been wrong to increase the punishment due to his concerns about a specific problem in Bradford.

Their stance drew fierce criticism from a former chairman of the Bradford Magistrates’ Bench, Mary Carroll, in a strongly-worded letter to Chief Crown Prosecutor Gerry Wareham.

Now, Judge Thomas has asked for a dossier of evidence to be compiled.

He spoke at Bradford Crown Court to Dave MacKay, Crown Advocate for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), and asked the CPS to collect statements from MPs, councillors, local safety campaigners, and Operation Steerside representatives.

Judge Thomas said the reason for the dossier was to allow appeal court judges to see evidence of the problems Bradford has with danger driving.

Judge Thomas wanted “established evidence of community impact”, and added: “So, if a case goes to the Court of Appeal, Lord Justice Treacy can see that evidence.”

On the appeals judges, he said: “They don’t know, do they, because they are in London, not Bradford? But if they knew about it, they would understand it.”

Mr MacKay told Judge Thomas he believed the statements were already being sought. A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service said: “We will be meeting West Yorkshire Police with a view to providing the courts with a community impact statement - a summary which addresses the extent and impact of dangerous driving in the Bradford District.”

The spokesman added that the CPS would be writing to Mrs Carroll to explain how things were being taken forward.

In her letter, Mrs Carroll said she could “attest to the shocking and deteriorating standard of driving in the city” and claimed appeals court judges had “totally failed to deliver justice to the people of Bradford”.

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