A DANGER driver flouted the speed limit, ran red lights and drove on the wrong side of the road during a seven-minute police chase.

Nasir Khan, 31, of Roydstone Terrace, Thornbury, appeared at Bradford Crown Court on Monday to be sentenced after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

Jailing him, the Recorder of Bradford, Judge Jonathan Durham Hall told him: "You knew what you were doing when you deliberately ignored pursuing police."

Prosecutor Alisha Kaye said the pursuit unfolded on November 1 last year. Police were on patrol on Manningham Lane just before midnight when they spotted a silver Vauxhall Astra travelling in the opposite direction.

When the driver saw police, he immediately turned his face away and officers turned their vehicle around to follow him.

Blue lights and sirens were activated, but Khan accelerated at 70mph.

A chase on roads including St Mary's Road, Heaton Road, North Park Road, Emm Lane and Heaton Road,Manor Road and Cheapside saw Khan drive over the speed limit, narrowly miss an oncoming vehicle, drive over a curb, run red lights and drive on the wrong side of the road.

He got out of the vehicle at Abbey Court, in the White Abbey area of the city, before running off and nearly being hit another car.

Khan, who has a number of previous convictions, including some for dangerous driving and driving while disqualified, continued but eventually fell to the ground so could be caught and arrested.

Ms Kaye said the chase lasted seven minutes and covered around seven to eight miles.

Tamara Pawson, for Khan, told the court her client, whose wife is pregnant, has taken responsibility as head of his house following the death of his father.

She said he is a previous heroin user, but is now clean and has had an offer of work and has got his life "back on track".

Ms Pawson said Khan is aware of the responsibility on his shoulders and said an alternate proposal, which both punishes him and allows him to progress his life, is a sensible one.

In sentencing, Judge Durham Hall reinforced the message of 'blue lights mean stop' and told Khan he had led police on a "hair-raising" pursuit through busy areas, causing others to take evasive action.

Khan was jailed for 16 months and was disqualified from driving for a further three years.