BRADFORD’S highest-ranked judge has reiterated his call for dangerous drivers to be punished with immediate prison terms after receiving a file from police outlining the impact the offence has on the district’s communities.

Judges sitting at Bradford Crown Court had requested that West Yorkshire Police provide a “community impact statement” into the effects of dangerous driving, to be used when sentencing those convicted of the crime.

That document has now been provided to the court, and the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, said its contents reinforced the belief that the district was “plagued” by those showing no regard for the rules of the road, with the risk of death and injury deemed “appallingly high”.

The document was highlighted during the case of David Hull, who was jailed for leading police on a 10-minute chase in and around Keighley on December 16 last year.

Prosecutor Alisha Kaye told the court that police patrol officers had seen Hull behind the wheel of a blue Audi TT in Highfield Road and had monitored him as the car was being driven very slowly and veering across the road.

As they indicated for him to stop, Hull let a passenger run from the car before speeding off onto West Lane and then Oakworth Road.

During the 3.7-mile pursuit, in which he reached speeds of 70mph on icy 30mph roads, Hull forced a number of vehicles to take evasive action to avoid collisions, sped over roundabouts and blind bends, and almost crashed into a skip.

He stopped in the Ingrow Lane area and was caught despite fleeing the vehicle and trying to escape up a footpath.

Hull, who was found to be over the prescribed limit for alcohol on his arrest, had a number of previous convictions for driving while disqualified, and the court heard he was on bail for drink-driving at the time of the offence.

Hull, of Gladstone Place, Oakworth, Keighley, admitted dangerous driving. His solicitor advocate, Tahir Hanif, said the defendant was “aware of how seriously these matters are viewed in this particular court”.

When he asked if Judge Durham Hall could be persuaded by mitigating factors to suspend a custodial sentence, the judge said: “Would I offend you by saying not even remotely? I’m sorry, but it is a non-starter.”

Judge Durham Hall told Hull his offending “ticked all the boxes of dangerous driving”, and jailed him for 10 months with an 18-month driving ban.

Prior to the sentence, Miss Kaye said that the police community impact statement had been uploaded to the court system, saying it was “something your honour has been pushing for for some time”.

Consulting the document, Judge Durham Hall referenced its contents stating that Bradford had the “highest number of damage-only collisions per head of population”.

He told the court: “We’re in the premier league for the number of fatalities and serious injuries. We’re plagued by dangerous driving, and it is only a miracle that more people are not killed, maimed, or injured. The risk of death and serious injury is appallingly high.”

Judge Durham Hall said the only way to reinforce the message to potential offenders was by the passing of immediate custodial sentences.

He said: “Markedly generous sentences are still being passed, and that has to stop. I have to get the message across. You see those blue lights, you stop.”

Brake, the West Yorkshire-based road safety charity, backed the call for courts to get tough on those guilty of driving dangerously.

A spokesperson said: “Shockingly lenient sentences are an insult to bereaved families. Far too often, grieving relatives are left to feel grossly let down by our legal system.

“When drivers take illegal and selfish actions on the roads, they knowingly put lives in danger. We need laws that act as a deterrent to other dangerous drivers, and penalties that reflect the suffering caused.

“Dangerous driving can be lethal, and we need courts and the Government to take these crimes much more seriously.”

The Telegraph & Argus has asked police to release the Community Impact Statement. In response, West Yorkshire Police issued the following statement: “The purpose of a Community Impact Statement is to highlight local concerns that people have regarding a specific issue to the courts, so judges can make an informed decision in sentencing on these matters.

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“Police in Bradford District are committed to making our roads safer for all and have obtained relevant collision data and other vehicle-related data from a number of sources for this document.

“This can now be used by crown court judges to review the factors of each dangerous driving case in Bradford District and assist them in passing a sentence which recognises the concerns of Bradford residents.”