A FATHER-OF-FOUR has been jailed for 12 months after he went through a red light and smashed into a private hire taxi on Bradford’s Sticker Lane.

Five people were taken to hospital after the “devastating” crash just after midnight on September 23, 2019, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Barrie Hartley and his passenger had to be cut free from his Vauxhall Vectra by the fire service and the taxi driver was left with injuries that meant he was off work for six months.

Hartley, 40, of Rimswell Holt, Greengates, Bradford, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving after mistakenly thinking the red light was on green.

Prosecutor Alisha Kaye said the private hire vehicle carrying two passengers was struck so hard by Hartley’s car that the engine was ripped out.

He had previous convictions for driving while disqualified and without a licence, aggra-vated vehicle taking and driving over the prescribed limit.

Miss Kaye said his last conviction was in 2013 for driving while disqualified.

Abigail Langford said in mitigation that Hartley was deeply ashamed and hadn’t driven since the crash.

He knew how lucky he and the other four people were not to have been more seriously injured.

“He’s terrified of what could have happened,” Miss Langford told the court. “It’s been a reality check.”

Hartley had a wife and four children and was in work.

He had learned his lesson and hoped to move on from the crash which was 18 months ago.

Miss Langford said Hartley had been out of trouble for so long that he would find serv-ing a jail sentence during the coronavirus lockdown particularly difficult.

Judge Jonathan Rose said that like many cities, Bradford was blighted by bad driving and this piece of driving was “dreadful.”

“The maximum sentence for dangerous driving is two years and it should be higher,” he said.

“This was a single piece of bad driving should never have happened.”

Hartley went through a red light thinking it was green and crashed into the taxi. He failed a roadside breath test although there was no charge in connection with that.

Judge Rose said it was miracle that all three people in the taxi were not killed, as well as Hartley and his passenger.

“It’s only good fortune that has saved you from facing a charge of causing death by dan-gerous driving,” he told Hartley.

Judge Rose gave him credit for his guilty plea and a discount because the case had taken so long to reach the sentencing hearing.

Hartley was banned from driving for three years.