A TEENAGER led the police on a high-speed car chase across Bradford after drug dealers forced him to drive on false plates searching the city for a stolen vehicle.

Lewis Appleby fell into the clutches of the gang who had burgled his mother at gunpoint, stabbed his brother and beat up his stepfather so badly that he lost an eye, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Appleby, now 20, who was homeless at the time, was being hounded by the dealers after losing some of their drugs, prosecutor Clare Walsh said.

On February 19 last year, he was made to drive a Ford Focus on false plates with three of the dealers on board, the court was told on Tuesday.

The police spotted the vehicle in Wrose doing up to 70mph in a 30 zone at 11.45pm, Mrs Walsh said.

Its wheels were sparking when it reached 72mph along Highfield Road, crossed on to the wrong side of the carriageway, went on the wrong side of a mini roundabout and set off through a Road Closed section on Thackley Old Road.

Appleby then crossed a car park on to Leeds Road and turned into a residential area. After driving round at speed, he headed for Shipley at up to 85mph and along Festival Avenue at 69mph.

He then headed off down a series of side streets where one of his passengers jumped out.

After speeding down Wrose Road at 85pm, Appleby slowed to let two more passengers out of the car. He then ran off and told the police he wasn’t driving the car.

Appleby’s barrister, Jeremy Hill-Baker, said he was being seriously threatened by drug dealers at the time.

He was buying drugs from the gang and they made him work for them to pay off a debt.

Appleby, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and to driving without insurance, was now free from Class A drugs and living well away from Bradford, Mr Hill-Baker said.

He had a good job and he was in a stable relationship.

Judge David Hatton QC said: “These are highly unusual and extraordinary circumstance in which you were compelled to drive by very unpleasant and dangerous people.”

Normally, defendants who led the police on a dangerous “blue light” chase would be locked up, Appleby was warned.

Appleby was sentenced to six months in a young offender institution, suspended for 12 months, with a rehabilitation activity requirement with the probation service.

He was banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to take an extended retest before he drives again.