A NEW father who led police on a high-speed chase despite never having passed a driving test has been jailed.

Yaser Iqbal, 32, was in a Vauxhall Corsa registered to his wife when he failed to stop for police on Kensington Street, off Thornton Road, Bradford, on November 4.

He led officers on a two-minute chase on surrounding streets including Durham Road and Thorn Street, ignoring a number of blind junctions and forcing at least two other drivers to take evasive action to avoid a collision. Bradford Crown Court heard that Iqbal, of Carlisle Road, Manningham, Bradford, had been on bail for driving while disqualified at the time of the police chase.

The court heard he had an expired provisional licence and had never passed a test, with driving convictions dating back to 2007. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and driving with no licence or insurance.

Iqbal said he failed to stop as he had been threatened earlier that day and thought the police car was someone chasing him.

Judge Jonathan Rose said Iqbal, who has a five-month old baby, was “a man who has shown wanton and blatant disregard” for driving laws. He jailed him for ten months and imposed a 23-month driving ban.