It's not all gloom and doom in Bradford - but to be honest that description does cover the majority of our most-read stories of the year for 2018...
1 Four men killed in crash on Bingley Road after police chase
Bradford was in shock in August when a grey BMW carrying four young men smashed into a tree near the junction of Bingley Road and Toller Lane. All four were killed. Their funeral features separately in this list as our eighth-most read story of the year. Because the car was being pursued by police at the time, the incident is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
2 Ashraf Khan, 81, of Lidget Green, jailed after admitting three counts of incest
This horrific court case in July was our second-most-read story of the year. It is unusual to read details of a case of this nature because of the need to protect the anonymity of the victims, but in this case Khan’s victim – his own daughter – had died since the offences took place and other family members were keen that her story be made public. In a grim postscript, Khan, who had not been in good health at the time of his trial, died in prison in September following an operation.
3 Bradford-trained pharmacist turned magician Adam Patel prepares for national tour
If we’re honest, we don’t know quite how this little-known magician managed to conjure his way to being the third most read story on the site this year. Perhaps some sleight-of-hand was involved - although of course, a magician never reveals his secrets...
4 Man arrested for murder after Bradford Moor man dies
5 Mohammed Nisar Khan (‘Meggy’) charged with murder
Two related stories make the fourth and fifth spots in our list, as two men await trial for the murder of Amriz Iqbal. They are due to stand trial in April 2019.
6 Man, 22, dies following crash after police chase
In the second fatal crash to feature in the year’s most read stories, a man died after the car he was travelling in, believed to be stolen, smashed into a house at the junction of Highgate Road and Union House Lane in Queensbury.
7 Two men assaulted in the street in Bradford Moor
See 4 and 5 above.
8 Video: Over 10,000 turn up for Toller Lane crash funeral
See 1 above.
9 Fatal crash on Swain House Road
Mum-of-two Zoe Sarjeant died after her silver Audi A4 struck a tree. Friends told of their shock at losing ‘a great loving young lady with her whole life ahead of her’.
10 Man airlifted to hospital after serious crash on Thornton Road
This dramatic smash was thought to have started when the driver suffered a medical emergency. Witnesses told how the Volkswagen Touareg towing a trailer accelerated before veering onto the central reservation and hitting a tree.
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