A teenager who took his brother’s new car without permission and crashed it into a stone wall during a high speed police chase has been spared an immediate custodial sentence.

Mohammed Subahaan panicked and accelerated away in the white Volkswagen Golf that had been delivered that day, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Subahaan, now 20, of Skipton Road, Keighley, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle taking on April 8 last year after driving off in the car and leading the police on a three-minute pursuit along the town’s Clark Road.

He was spared an immediate custodial sentence by Recorder Simon Eckersley because he was a hardworking convenience store manager who had kept out of trouble in the almost 12 months since committing the offence.

The court heard that Subahaan sped off when the police activated their blue lights and sirens ordering him to stop.

He reached speeds of 70mph in a 20 zone which, as Recorder Eckersley pointed out was three times the speed limit.

The chase ended when he lost control of the Golf on the damp road surface and crashed into a stone wall.

In mitigation, it was stated that Subahaan had held a full driving licence and had no pre-vious convictions.

He was very ashamed of his “stupid action” after panicking when he saw the police behind him.

The court heard he had paid his brother £9,000 after wrecking the car.

Subahaan was the manager of a corner shop owned by family members.

Recorder Eckersley sentenced him to six months in a young offender institution, sus-pended for 18 months, with 150 hours of unpaid work.

He was banned from driving for 12 months and until he passes an extended retest.

The recorder said Subahaan had taken his brother’s new car without his permission on the day it was delivered.

He had driven it “in an appalling fashion,” at excessive speed on residential roads.

It was only by good luck that no pedestrians were about, Recorder Eckersley said.

But Subahaan was a young man with good employment and from a stable family back-ground. The offence was a year ago and he had not troubled the police or the courts since. Although the case crossed the custodial threshold the sentence could be suspended.