A TEENAGER who repeatedly sped away from police during a chase in the Little Horton area of Bradford has been locked up.

Bradford Crown Court heard that Amjaheen Amar, 18, had offered to move his friend’s Ford Focus despite never having taken a driving test.

His barrister Gillian Batts said Amar had seen a warning in the Telegraph & Argus earlier this week about dangerous drivers being given “no second chances” by the court, and Judge David Hatton QC said Amar’s actions had to result in immediate custody.

Prosecutor Howard Shaw said that on September 9 last year, police tried to stop Amar on Easby Road in Bradford but instead of pulling over, he sped away onto Ash Grove and then Melbourne Place.

A two-minute chase then ensued, taking in streets including Little Horton Road, Anne Place, and Radwell Drive, with Amar driving above the speed limits, ignoring blind junctions, and “showing complete disregard” for children playing nearby.

Judge Hatton said: “He has never even taken a test has he? And he gets in a car and drives like a lunatic”, to which Mr Shaw replied: “In a nutshell, yes.”

Amar, of Carlisle Place, Bradford, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, and driving without a licence or insurance. Miss Batts, mitigating, said while her client had committed an act of “gross stupidity”, no injuries or damage had been caused. She said: “The public in Bradford would be better served if he was given an opportunity with probation so he doesn’t behave so stupidly again.”

Sentencing him to four months in a young offender institution, Judge Hatton told Amar: “You chose to get behind the wheel, not withstanding the fact you have never taken a driving test. It must be known and appreciated that those who drive dangerously must face a custodial sentence.

“The public will be better served knowing that those who drive dangerously through the streets will be punished.”