A GAS engineer has been jailed for his second offence of dangerous driving after speeding away from police officers pursuing him on motorbikes.

Suleman Ismail went straight across a mini roundabout while breaking the speed limit during the chase along Little Horton Lane, Bradford, just before 11pm on August 2.

He was arrested after turning down Dorset Street and becoming trapped in a dead end, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Ismail, 28, of Greaves Street, Little Horton, Bradford, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.

He was jailed for ten months by Recorder Jonathan Sandiford QC and banned from driving for three years and one month.

Prosecutor Clare Walsh told the court that Ismail had two previous convictions for five offences.

In 2018, he was jailed for eight months and banned from driving for 22 months for dangerous driving and driving while uninsured.

Last year, he was imprisoned for 28 days and banned for 30 months for driving while disqualified.

James Holding said in mitigation that Ismail’s poorly mother had fallen that night and he had driven to attend the emergency.

He was on his way back home when he saw two “dirt bikes” behind him. He did not at first realise they were being ridden by police officers but when they activated their blue lights, he panicked.

Ismail crossed a mini roundabout and drove at inappropriate speeds before turning into the dead end, running off and being apprehended.

Mr Holding said the pursuit was over less than a mile.

Ismail was a married man and a visa was pending for his wife to join him in the UK.

If he was imprisoned, he would lose his job and his home.

He was a carer for his mother and had been to help her on the night he committed the offences.

Recorder Sandiford said it wasn’t the worst case of dangerous driving during a police pursuit.

But the offence was aggravated because Ismail had failed to stop, he was a disqualified driver and he had a previous conviction for dangerous driving.

He had sped off up Little Horton Lane, a busy Bradford road, and begun a dangerous overtake into traffic heading for the city centre before abandoning the manoeuvre. He had then abandoned the vehicle and run off.

Recorder Sandiford said deterrent sentences were needed to dissuade people from failing to stop for the police, with the potential to cause accidents and serious injury.