A DRIVER who “bragged” to crowds after a police chase ended with a head-on crash has been jailed after a judge accused him of thinking he was “bigger than the law.”

Omar Ali, 26, had only just been released from prison when police saw him behind the wheel of a Volkswagen Bora in the Great Horton area of Bradford during the evening rush-hour of April 30.

Prosecutor Stephen Wood told Bradford Crown Court that the car had made off from police in a different area of the city earlier that day, prompting officers to try and stop it as it drove towards them on Westcroft Road.

Instead of stopping, Ali ignored the blue lights and sped off.

The ensuing chase, during which Mr Wood said Ali reached speeds of “50mph above the 30mph speed limit”, took in roads including Southfield Lane, Beldon Road, Kingswood Terrace, Cross Lane, and Ebenezer Place.

Ali crossed “recklessly” at junctions and drove at speed on the wrong side of Great Horton Road towards oncoming traffic.

Mr Wood said that the defendant also drove on the pavement to avoid being “boxed in” by police, stating: “Members of the public had to leap out of the way to avoid being hit. It was only sheer luck that saved a catastrophic collision.”

The pursuit came to an end when Ali crashed into an oncoming vehicle.

As one police officer approached his car, Ali unleashed punches and kicks to the man’s face, shouting: “Get the f**k off me.”

Mr Wood said that as Ali was being arrested, a crowd had gathered around the crash scene, adding: “The defendant seemed to brag to those watching saying he had been the driver.”

Ali, of Cumberland Road, Lidget Green, Bradford, was still on licence at the time of the offence having been given a 43 month sentence in 2016 for offences including robbery and burglary.

He admitted charges of dangerous driving, assaulting a police officer, and driving without a licence or insurance.

Abdul Shakoor, mitigating, said his client deserved full credit for entering his guilty pleas at the first opportunity.

Judge Jonathan Rose said he was “obliged by law” to reduce Ali’s sentence by one-third, jailing him for 18 months and imposing a three-year driving ban on his release.

He said that the streets were busy with other motorists and pedestrians at the time of Ali’s offence, telling him: “You weren’t bothered if you killed any of them, you were only bothered about yourself.

“Think of the fear it engenders in decent members of the public when a fool like you drives in this way.

“You think you are bigger than the law. I have no confidence that any sentence I pass will make any difference to you.”