A DANGEROUS driver who led police on a car chase before crashing into railings and running off has been given an eight-month suspended jail sentence.

Police in an unmarked car spotted 19-year-old Hassan Hussain alone behind the wheel of an Audi S3 Sportback speeding towards Legrams Lane on November 20 last year.

The officers followed him with sirens and lights but he did not stop, Bradford Crown Court heard.

The car, which turned out to have been stolen from a house in Leeds one week earlier, reached speeds of up to 60mph.

The Audi crossed in front of one vehicle during the pursuit of under one minute and failed to take a right-hand corner, crashing into railings which lifted the wheels of the ground and wedged the driver’s door shut.

Hussain, who had pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to dangerous driving but maintained a not guilty plea to handling a stolen car, escaped through the passenger’s door.

He was again chased by police who detained him at a nearby restaurant, the court was told.

The car had false plates on at the time. Its original plates and a second set of false ones were later discovered in the boot, but there was nothing to suggest he knew about them, Judge Colin Burn was told.

At first Hussain, who lives with his parents in Northside Road, Lidget Green, told police he had been the passenger and the driver had escaped but it was pointed out to him that the door had been wedged shut.

At the time of the offence, he was on bail for earlier dangerous driving for which he was sentenced in January. When he was sentenced earlier this year, the prosecution, defence and judge were all unaware of what had happened in November because the matter was taking time to come to court.

However, the court heard since his first sentence Hussain had progressed well with his probation workers, completing 160 hours of unpaid work and engaging with a ‘responsible road users’ group.

Judge Burn told Hussain he was a repeat offender but because of his probation report and having progressed, he was being given another chance.

“I’m satisfied you have done everything you conceivably could in relation to the sentence I imposed in January,” said Judge Burn, but he added: “I don’t want you to run away with the impression that you have done your unpaid work and you will get your licence back.

“It’s not going to happen because you demonstrated you were a repeat offender.”

He gave Hussain an eight-month sentence suspended for two years, ordered him to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, disqualified him from driving for 15 months and told him to pay £200 court costs.