Drug driver jailed for 110mph chase in city centre 30-zone (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Drug driver jailed for 110mph chase in city centre 30-zone

11:00am Wednesday 22nd February 2012 in Bradford By Hannah Baker

A drug-fuelled driver who drove at speeds of 110mph through 30mph zones in Bradford has been jailed for 18 months.

Joseph Sharpe, 27, had taken cocaine shortly before driving a silver Ford Focus along Huddersfield Road and Manchester Road, in the south of the city, passing through two sets of red lights before crashing the vehicle in November last year.

Sharpe, who had pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified, dangerous driving and driving without insurance, was also banned from driving for four years when he appeared at Bradford Crown Court yesterday.

Prosecutor Ewan McLachlan told the court police had seen a silver Ford Focus being driven at speed at around 2.30am through Bailiff Bridge, Brighouse, and the driver had failed to stop.

The vehicle was seen soon afterwards by officers travelling at 100mph along Huddersfield Road before it passed through a red light at the junction of Mayo Avenue and Manchester Road and accelerated to 110mph as it sped towards the city centre.

After passing through another red light at the junction of Manchester Road and St Stephen’s Road, the vehicle collided with a road sign on a traffic island near the junction with Senior Way, the court was told.

Mr McLachlan said Sharpe, who was the car’s only occupant, ran away from the vehicle but was arrested by officers several minutes later.

Although it was early in the morning, there were other vehicles on the roads, he said.

Sharpe, of Langley Walk, Norwich, who tested positive for cocaine, told officers he had panicked when he saw police and could not remember going through the traffic lights.

Assumpta O’Rourke, mitigating for Sharpe, who had seven previous convictions for driving while disqualified and one for dangerous driving, said her client had handed himself in to police and accepted responsibility for the offences.

She said he was keen to gain qualifications while in prison, improve his behaviour and stop taking drugs.

Judge Jonathan Durham Hall QC, who sentenced Sharpe to 15 months in prison for dangerous driving and three months for driving while disqualified, to run consecutively, told Sharpe: “I really fear for you if you don’t get a grip on this. You could kill yourself and what could be much worse you could kill or maim someone else.”

He also ordered him to take an extended driving retest before being allowed to drive again.

e-mail: hannah.baker@telegraphandargus.co.uk